|
|
 |
|
The Pixel Punk Diaries |
My Garage in Heaven
Jesus told the rich young man to sell everything he owns if he wants to make it to heaven. This is a tough one, especially if you love cars like I do. Nobody wants to be accused of being materialistic, but what do you do when you just love cool cars? I’m trying to figure that out.
A few weeks ago I went to the Barrett-Jackson car auction in
Scottsdale, Arizona. It’s the biggest and best car auction on earth. This is where richest of the rich come to get exactly the car they want. Don't even bother bidding against them, because they'll win every time.
The cars drove up on the stage one at a time, paint sparkling and engine roaring. My heart pounded. The ten thousand people in the crowd shuffled through their auction books to read about the cars details. Others had no interest in watching this game: they wanted the car. They marched up to the stage and prepared for war.
...yelling, leaning in and pounding their chests like gorillas. The auctioneer stood on the stage above the car and rattled off dollar amounts as a handful of people battled it out. With the drop of the gavel, one guy cheered and smiled and followed his dream off to the parking lot. Soon another dream-maker would roll onto the stage.
Most of the time the bidding war is civil. Every so often, you get a show. Two guys taunted one another on the auction floor: yelling, leaning in and pounding their chests like gorillas. I've never seen forty-year-olds get in a fistfight, but this might be my chance.
They didn't punch each other, but instead took turns throwing their fists in the air, each time commanding the highest bid. They both wanted the car, and would take it home, no matter what the cost. The bidding started at $50,000. Fifteen minutes later, one guy went home with a $3,000,000 Oldsmobile. Three. Million. Dollars. Oldsmobile?
I go to this car auction because I know I won’t be tempted to buy anything. Serving God requires that you make sacrifices. This is the part of Christ's teachings that keep most people away. I know that working in youth ministry will probably mean I'll never be a millionaire. I'll never have a big garage filled with my favorite cars. Most likely, the closest I’ll ever get to my dream car is when I pull up to one at the stoplight. But, I'm at peace with this.
I don't know what heaven will be like. Some people say that it's a place where you get everything you wanted on earth--a palace with pearly gates. Some people say that nothing on earth compares to being in the presence of God. On my best days, I know that I only hunger for God. But on most days, I can only imagine heaven as a twenty-car garage. And that’s enough to give me a smile on a bad day. I'm at peace with this.
For the other car nuts out there, this is my Garage in Heaven:
1933 Ford
1940 Willies Coupe
1950 Mercury (with flame throwers)
1954 Chevy Bel Air, chopped
1960 Ford Starliner
1964 Impala Super Sport
1967 Shelby Mustang Eleanor
1969 Hemi Charger
1972 Chevy C-10 Cheyenne Super
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
 |
Matt Smith is the Director of Internet Ministries for Life Teen, an international Catholic youth ministry based in Phoenix, Arizona. He is the creative force behind Life Teen's cluster of websites that receive nearly 2 million visits a year. Since staring on MTV's "Real World" and MTV's "Road Rules Challenge", Matt has traveled the country speaking at colleges, universities, schools, and Catholic parishes.
 Read
More
|
 |
|