Back in 1996, when I was nineteen, I purchased a used Honda four-wheel drive ATV. Over the last twelve years a lot of memories were made on that ATV. Originally it was used to transport me from field to field as a cotton scout. Memories of mud bogging with close friends that I haven’t seen in years flood my mind when I sit on that machine. We would ride for hours each weekend. Most of these guys are now preachers, lawyers, doctors, teachers, or farmers. It was a steel horse that I used to work cattle along side of two now deceased cow dogs that I once owned. When Jamie and I started dating back in 1999 Sunday evening four-wheeler rides was one of our favorite pastimes. The memories are more than I can count but they continue to bring my joy to the boiling point.

In 2004, when we entered fulltime ministry it was left beneath a tractor shed to collect dust and rust. A few weeks ago I aired up the tires, pressure-washed away the dust and mildew, and cleaned the gas tank. I was more than a little surprised to see that it would still run. It no longer shines, the racks are bent and rusty, the tail light is busted, it has no working brakes, and the seat is nothing more than a piece of exposed foam. Although it has definitely seen better days it still has the power to light up the faces of my wife and little girl. A lot of people, like that machine, sit around and collect dust when they have quite a few memories left in them. It doesn’t matter if you have seen better days. The point is that you still have the power to light up someone’s life. Solomon said, “Do not say, why were the former days better than these? For you do not inquire wisely concerning this” (Ecclesiastes 7:10). The command is one to live and bring joy to someone else’s life. It really all comes down to this; we can stay under the barn and rust out or we can smile, polish up, make some memories with what we have left, and wear out. Amen!!! Polish up and get on with it then.