Monday, November 13, 2006

Pimp My Life!

One of MTV’s most creative and popular attractions is the show called Pimp My Ride. It’s a strange name, to be sure, but it isn’t what you might think. Pimp, you see, is a slang term for beautify or revamp. Ride, on the other hand, is a roundabout way of describing an automobile. To Pimp someone’s Ride, therefore, amounts to a total recreation of his or her car. Catchy title, huh?

To give you some idea of how this works, people who own broken-down forms of transportation contact the show. Then, when a dilapidated, ready-for-the-junk-yard car is accepted, it is taken to a shop where major repairs and cosmetic surgery are performed.

Once the car is completed and returned to its owner, the responses are usually quite dramatic. The reason for this, of course, is that the changes to the automobile are drastic. Indeed, some of the cars are so altered that it is difficult to remember their former appearance. The transformation from ugly to classy, from dull to brightly colored, from tattered to renewed is akin to an automotive conversion.

Something similar takes place in the lives of those who look outside of themselves to their Creator. Let’s be honest; we can all be pretty shabby looking. Our “Rides” may be functioning, but they are certainly not what we want them to be. Our shine has faded, and our overall appeal is lacking. Though we have a ton of potential, it often goes unrealized. In a word, we need to get fixed, that is, “Pimped.”

This is precisely what Jesus came to do. He saw us as master creations, who had lost their luster, divine image-bearers whose image-bearing capacity was marred, creatures of God requiring an overhaul. While the modifications God makes are gradual and lifelong (and though we often get in the way) change is indeed his speciality.

Is the paint in your life cracking and the interior of your life torn and unsightly? If so, perhaps you need to find someone who is able to repair the damage and gradually restore you to your original purpose. Maybe, you need to present yourself to the One who changes hearts and alters perceptions, the One who performs his wonders on the soul.

Those who desire spiritual restoration will not be turned away, for our Maker honors all who are willing to declare their need of him. If you are so inclined, look to the One who repairs broken “Rides” and say something like, “Lord, Pimp My . . . Life!”

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