There is a story of a young man who decided that when he bought his first
vehicle it would be the epitome of his dreams. He worked and saved and toiled
and dreamed, until finally the day arrived when he was able to purchase his
dream machine. It was a van: beautiful, loaded, luxurious; as good as they come;
a perfect merging of the engineer's and designer's arts. The young man had every
right to expect a great deal from this mechanical marvel, and he drove it off
the lot with pride and the aura of a man who knows that destiny and
determination have conspired to bring about the perfect union.
The next day, however, the beautiful new van came back to the lot on a
tow-truck. It was bent and battered, obviously undriveable. Shortly thereafter
the livid owner stormed into the salesman's office, not only demanding a
complete refund, but also threatening to sue for medical damages.
"What happened?" Asked the startled salesman.
"I bought your van," sputtered the young man, "and I drove it out to the
interstate to give it a test run. I set the automatic cruise control, went to
the back to fix myself a cup of coffee, and it ran off the road!"
I suspect that there is a desire in each of us to put our lives on cruise
control. We like to avoid responsibility--we want to sit back, eat, drink and be
merry--to enjoy the benefits of the modern world without having to pay much for
it.
Thanks to Henk Frijters sermon@minister.com
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