The Man was walking through the junkyard looking for something he had treasured.  There it was!  The first car he had when he learned how to drive, given to him by his father.  He got so excited to see it.  

He ran to the junkyard owner and asked, “Is that old car for sale?”  

The owner questioned him, “Why do you want that thing?  It’s a mess—rusty, falling apart, not able to do what it was made for.  It was in a few crashes.  Not worth fixing.”

“I don’t care.  How much?”

The owner rubbed his chin and with an evil eye quoted an outrageous price.

The Man said, “I’ll take it” and paid the price.

The Man took the old car home and put it safely in his garage and put it up on blocks.  He inspected it and made a plan to restore it to its original glory.  First he tinkered with the engine.  It would work but with much grinding and sputtering.  The Man painstakingly took apart the most vital sections of the engine.  Cleaned it and retored it to new.  He finally got it running well enough for a spin around the block.  He put new tires on it and proudly drove it around the neighborhood.

The neighbors only saw a dilapidated car with dents, rust, broken glass and a trashed interior.  But The Man proudly drove it around knowing someday it would be the boast of the neighborhood.  Next The Man invited his mechanic friends who were good at restoring engines to help him work on the car.  They all came with joy and were excited about his new project.

Then The Man invited his friends who knew how to restore the interior of the car.  They put new seats, upholstery, new lining, new mats, and restored the windows, steering wheel and all the original parts that were still good.  They all were proud of their project.  

Finally the Man invited his friends to do body work.  They scraped, sanded, pounded out dents, refitted the parts, painted, and polished, until it was a work of art.

At every new development, the Man would drive his car around the neighborhood to show it off.  Eventually the neighbors looked forward to seeing what the new changes would be.  Finally when the project was completed, all the neighbors cheered as the Man drove it out for its first road trip.

If you feel like you are in a junkyard, battered and in disrepair, Jesus is The Man.  He is looking for you because his Father gave you to him long ago.  When he takes you into his garage to be fixed, you will be on cinder blocks for a period.  His friends will come to “work on you”.  Mechanics will work on how you think and behave.  Interior restorers will work on your emotions, and choices.  Body workers will address your health, appearance, and ability to take passengers.

What good is a good looking car that can only sit in the garage?  A car that goes fast but cannot carry passengers is limited.  A restored interior alone is only good for one person to enjoy without being able to go anywhere or take someone along?

Will you let Jesus “friends” work on you to restore you?  They are under his watchful eye and direction.