Sentimental Journey

A few weeks ago we traded in our high mileage minivan for a low mileage, larger SUV.  I was so excited! I had wanted something bigger for a few years so that our four children would have more leg room.  My husband wasn't too sure about getting a bigger one for a while because he was concerned about the gas mileage.  But, he had the opportunity to drive a bigger vehicle with all of us in there, and eventually decided it would give us a lot more room.  We looked online at different models and finally found something we liked.  It also had a good price!

Our oldest son, Zachary, went with me down near Dallas to trade in the minivan for the SUV.  On the way down there I began to get sentimental towards the van.  With our previous van that we had traded in over six years ago there were no sentimental feelings at all.  That van had been abused with sick kids with stomach viruses, spills of food and drinks, melted crayons, and lots of other mishaps.  But the newer red minivan....well....it was a big part of our family.  It had been around almost the whole time our youngest had been alive.  There were good memories from that van and it had been a good vehicle - without many problems at all.

Zachary didn't understand my sentimental feelings about the van.  He thought it was ridiculous!  I tried to explain to him that it was the memories of he and his siblings in the van - traveling around and just being a big part of our life for so many years. Zachary didn't get it.

When we got ready to clean out the van and get into the new SUV, it was a strange feeling.  I was still excited and knew that I would be able to get used to the new vehicle, but it was just odd.  It felt like I was getting rid of something that was a big part of us!  (Strange, I know!).

As Zachary and I drove the new-to-us SUV back to Oklahoma, I didn't feel strange any more.  I got used to the SUV pretty quickly.  It would become a big part of our family.  It would quickly become part of our lives.  It would be filled with conversation, music, singing, and laughter.  It might also be filled with crying, at times.  It would become a place where lots of memories were made.

So, as I think about this sentimental journey of the minivan and the SUV, I realize that it's not about what the vehicle is and what model it is.  Not at all.  It's about the memories made together.  It's about being together and talking together.  It's about laughing together and crying together.  And, sometimes it will be about sibling quarrels.  But, it's memories of our family.  The sentimental journeys becomes the sentimental journal of our lives.

God gives us a lot of things in life.  He blesses us in many, many ways.  But those things are not what matters.  It's the people that matter and the memories and relationships with those people. 

He gave us One special person in life that should be more special to us than anything or anyone else.  He gave us His only Son who was willing to die for us.  Our sentimental journey should include those memories of Him suffering for us.  Take some time to read that sentimental journal - the Holy Bible.  Take the time to reflect on His life and what He did for You.  Take the time to thank God for all He has given you and to thank Jesus for the gift of salvation through His blood.

Take the time to go on a sentimental journey today.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4