I went over to go play board games with some old and new friends yesterday, and was confronted with the terrible curse of navigating bad parking jobs.
There was only one spot in the parking lot, and legend had it that parking on the street earned you a ticket. Unfortunately, both cars on either side of the parking lot had pulled in with their back ends bleeding out a little over the line on each side. To make matters worse, the space provided behind the cars was minuscule as well, meaning you couldn't even fit a car length-wise between the spots on one end of the parking lot to the other.
It was a testament to my studies of both Jamaica-bound missionary and Jamaican drivers that I was able to squeeze into this impossible spot, which, by all accounts, should have been an impossible feat. Sure, I backed up and inched forward probably a good twenty times, I thought I'd hit a car at one point, I nearly slammed into a pedestrian walking behind me, I didn't even get all the way in, my trunk sticking out farther than should have been necessary, but I did it!
I was preparing to back out and go home when I realized that this could be a gospel analogy. The one I landed upon is that, sometimes, I'm offered to do or say or partake of something I feel uncomfortable about, whether it be watching a certain TV show or spouting vulgar humor or whatever. Partaking of those things may feel completely comfortable to the people I'm around, meaning their relationship with God still remains completely intact afterward. However, I may feel, personally, that such things breach my own personal standards. These dilemmas generally have less to do with keeping the commandments or following church standards, obviously, but deal more so with the personal decisions you've made to help strengthen that.
And yes, I'm getting back to the parking spot. Sometimes, navigating these personal standards may seem daunting, requiring a lot of positioning and maneuvering and even prayers in order to determine where you finally need to fall. Once you've finally found that sweet spot, you rejoice with much jubilation. Keeping your boundaries set, like staying as far away as possible from the back ends of vehicles as you creep in between them, may seem difficult, but you will be rewarded so much more than if you just blast in and see what happens.
Of course, that may not be the best analogy! What gospel analogies can you think of that are related to parking? Be sure to post in the comments below!
I can't wait to see you teach seminary, bud. Crazy analogies all the time! they will NEVER forget you! haha
ReplyDeleteOh, my! Sorry, I don't have an analogy, but a memory. I once was in the same situation, only I'm going to boldly declare that my spot was EVEN TIGHTER! I do so with confidence, because you made no mention of having to crawl out of your car window because you were so tightly squeezed in that you could not open a door. Yes, it was THAT tight. I got a nasty note from the driver of the car on my right, because, of course, when he (or she) returned to his awkwardly parked car, he could no longer open his own door. At least he had the option of crawling through the passenger side door! ;)
ReplyDelete