Gene, My Mechanic, And My Minister
Gene is my auto mechanic, and also a member of my church who never attends. Most weekends he will be hunting or fishing, or spending time with his grandchildren. Until recently, his yard was filled with about a dozen circular pens that held fighting chickens. He told me he never fought 'em, just raised 'em. He's an interesting man, and I will find myself in conversation with him a couple of times per month. His garage door is always open for me. Even when he is in his house, cooking or eating- two of his favorite avocations- he insists that I come in and “sit a spell.”
A few years ago Gene was going through a very difficult time in his life. His daughter was giving him lots of trouble. His wife sued him for divorce, and hired a lawyer who was aggressively seeking to seize his money and property. For about two months he came to church every Sunday. He even dated a few of the single ladies of the church. Interestingly, after this woman dragged him through a messy divorce and took much of his money, she decided she made a mistake and wanted to come home. And Gene took her back. They're not married; he's “shacking up” with his wife. And now that matters have smoothed out, Gene no longer comes to church.
Shortly after I moved to this area, Mr. Gene took it upon himself to keep my old cars running. My cars have been of the 8 to 10 year-old variety, with enough wear-and-tear to start breaking down. Tune-ups, brake jobs, radiator problems, generators, alternators, belts, hoses, even serious internal engine problems- Gene does it all for me. Once my car just would not start. Gene raised the hood, perused the engine, and proceeded to splash water on the side of motor. It started, and he then replaced some type of computerized module. Try getting the dealership to provide such service! Just the other day my daughter's motor locked up. Gene told me what parts to secure, and he spent hours replacing various pieces, and at the end of the day insisted that I owed him $40. I left him a hundred, which was still a tremendous bargain. This man never charges me a fraction of what his work is worth.
What about Gene's spiritual well-being? He never attends church, yet always is ready to assure others that the good Lord looks after him. He doesn't invest his resources in the church, yet he is all-the-time doing repair work for people at a fraction of the cost he could charge. He's living with a woman without being married to her, but she is his former wife. Gene has a bad heart, and some would say he is not ready to meet his maker. To me, when I think of this man, I consider the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:31-46, and particularly the familiar quotation: “...I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”
I stop by periodically to visit with Gene, especially when my old car is in the process of breaking down once again. He always seems happy to see me. We talk about his problems and my problems. We talk about the Lord, and he is keenly focused and interested in that subject. I guess he has some forward movement to make in his spiritual journey; we all do. He just does not live according to the conventional rules of my cultural Christianity. But I am not too worried about his reservation in Heaven.
How about you?
