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When our three daughters were younger Beverly and I bought a used, white Plymouth Voyager mini-van. It was a fine vehicle that was soon equipped with a state-of-the-art VHS videocassette player console that fit between the front seats. Its single screen dropped down from the center of the ceiling. We enjoyed many miles of travel with it as a family and were glad that it went to another family with young children after us.
But a curious thing happened shortly after we purchased the van. We started seeing white mini-vans all over the place. They were easy to spot and it was so obvious that there were now more of them on the road than before we bought ours. While I did not confirm this fact by checking auto dealer sales records or the Secretary of State's registration data, it was clear that this was a new reality.
Now to be fair, I need to acknowledge some limitations. Annie Dillard observes in Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, “My eyes account for less than 1% of the weight of my head; I’m bony and dense; I see what I expect.” What makes this experience memorable for me is that I was not expecting to find other white mini-vans when we drove off the dealer lot, they just seemed to appear more frequently after doing so.
It's as if our commitment to a white mini-van changed our perception of the transportation world. Our choice revealed the presence of other similarly-committed travelers and their vehicles. So maybe this is a repeatable experiment...Might a commitment to love my neighbor reveal more neighbors to love? Would a commitment to peace-making bring me into more situations of conflict needing peace? Would a commitment to Sabbath (resting and renewing my spirit-mind-body) open up time in my life and help me let go of lesser important things?
Jesus preaches about primary commitments and their consequences, "Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met" (Matthew 6:33; The Message).
My supervising pastor in seminary said that in our lives of faith "we are refueled in flight". That is we are sustained in commitments we are living out rather than simply contemplating. Its as if God uses our active commitment as an opportunity to expand our vision and knowledge, and connect us to other disciples on the way.
That makes faith an exciting and surprising trip. Which of course is even cooler in a white mini-van.
With gratitude for our common journey and commitment to Christ, Pastor Jeff
