When bench racing and the subject of our first cars come up, we think of
the first car we drove, or owned, usually in high school. But looking back, our
first cars go back a lot further, to when we were very young. A whole
generation of kids in the sixties and even today think Hot Wheels, but to my
generation it was Matchbox cars, a precursor to Hot Wheels, Made in England.
Cars that were modeled after their real life cars, and cars we could associate
with. Beginning in 1953, and a run of 75 different ones, for the price of 50
cents per car it was a tough choice of which car to get with our allowance.
From police cars to taxis, to lorries, or trucks as they call them across the
pond, you could soon build a collection, which was stored conveniently in a case
you could buy, from Matchbox of course. But us really cool guys, stored them in
the garages they came in, the matchbox sized boxes, with the picture of the car
on it, and “A Product of Lesney,” beneath it. Cars that today are collectible,
a company that sold out to Hot Wheels, and are still being sold for under two
dollars. Such a deal, and of course adding the villages, storage boxes, and
special editions, your collection is in danger of never being complete. All
based on a car that could easily fit in the pocket of your jeans. Such are the
trials of your first cars...
Many a Saturday morning was spent at Play Fair, looking at, or really into
the March Box display, the pictures on the boxes making it tough to decide which
car to buy next. My favorite was a British Racing Green Jaguar D model, and the
trucks. Loved the trucks, and soon police cars, ambulances, garbage trucks, and
others were added, and your own town was soon created. The games we would play
when visiting a friend’s house, bringing our cars along, and having to obey his
traffic rules. Sharing each others cars, careful not to damage them, but
Matchbox toys seemed indestructible. I wish more of the memories of Matchbox
toys were shared, now being highly collectible, the toy value and the times
shared having fun with them is not mentioned, only the value, the condition of
the box, and more money if never out of the box. To us they were just toys, to
me they still are and always will be. Put a price on your childhood memories,
and they begin to lose value. Such are trials of your first cars....
It is unknown how many of those Matchbox cars influenced our first real
cars when old enough to drive. But without a doubt, they made an impact on us
when we were young. Sadly too many dreams end up in minivans, or four door
sedans, not the cars of dreams when we were kids. As fuel efficient as our
Matchbox cars were, we never considered the price of gas and repairs, upkeep and
keeping them clean. Too many were cast off or thrown away and replaced with
newer models, the list always growing, but somehow we always kept a few special
ones, cars that were never shared, and only played with on special occasions.
They had a special value, they were where our dreams of the road were kept, and
where we could go as fast and as far as we wanted, with no speed limits or
laws. And then we grew up, or at least got older, and a new reality set
in.
Picture if you will Aaron and Moses coming out of the tent, and the
Shekinah glory that filled the area. Over a million people gathered, and not a
bad seat to be found. A consuming fire burns up the sacrifices in a flash, and
all the people fall on their faces and worship God. A shout of awe, and victory
goes up, and knowing God is in their midst. A time that seems to last for an
instant, but that God has designed to last forever. A time when we are all
children, yet all priests, or ambassadors of Jesus Christ at the same time.
That is the character of Jesus in our lives, as the spirit guides us and
inspires us. Like the Matchbox cars that shaped us, the spirit shapes us also,
and soon the character of God is revealed in us. We never stop being a child of
God no matter our age, acknowledging him as Father, just like when we were
kids. Yet religion for many has stolen that relationship, encouraging us to
mature, to memorize, to learn, but rarely to share or apply the things of God.
The box we came in may look like new, but inside is different, as we rot away,
and when the box of our lives is open, it is found vacant. Or broken, not from
use, but from non-use. Not as God designed us, but as we were instructed. How
much different the sacrifices we think we make today tell us about our
relationship with God, as opposed to that day in the temple. How many of us if
we were a toy, would we want to play with? Would we share with our friends? Is
our relationship with God as pretty as the box we portray everyday?
The objective of God is to enter our lives, and to be a light shining from
them. The glory of God is to be represented in our lives, not just when
gathering together. Just like visiting a friend and bringing our cars along, we
had a new set of rules and decorum, how many of us leave Jesus at home, or does
he even make it that far, left in a pew at church? The Jews that day
experienced the Shekinah glory, but the glow would soon wear off, and their 40
year trek would begin. Are you on a trek because you think the glory of God has
left you, but is it really that you have left God? Do you still have the same
joy as the day you were first saved, how do you remember Jesus? Is he as
precious as the first cars you ever owned? Memories are not a bad place to
spend time, but not where we will spend eternity. Look forward to the time of
his returning, but enjoy today first. The toys of yesterday are the sought
after collectibles of today, don’t let your relationship with Jesus go the same
route. My first cars allowed me dream of my first real car, Jesus in my life
gave me a hope and a future, and allows me to still be a kid, and to still call
God Dad. Abba Father, or Daddy. Maybe a part of your relationship with him
that needs some work. He left the door open to come back, and to stay. Such
are the trials of our first cars, welcome back, playtime is never over for a
child of God. I wish I had kept my Matchbox cars, fortunately I never let go of
Jesus. Matchbox cars were so simple, if only we knew Jesus the same
way....
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com