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10-28-09 (Body Work)
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Stephanie McIver
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Oct 28, 2009 11:05 PST
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Steph’s Stuff
10-28-09
(Body Work)
I told you a few days ago about our little adventure to California where
my guy bought his dream car—and three hours later we were rear ended by
a car full of teenage girls. To update you, the car is now in the
shop, the other party’s insurance company has stepped up to the plate
and assumed responsibility for the repairs—and he will have the car
back, even better than new (there was one small rock chip in the back
that is being replaced) in about a week.
I have been trying to help with all the paperwork associated with an
accident, transferring title, insurance adjuster questions (to me, it
was, ‘Are you okay? If you need ANYTHING, go to the doctor—you’re fully
covered!”) And I smile and thank God that I am fine. The bump on my
head is healing nicely and the body aches of being jarred so suddenly
are retreating into the annals of past history. Besides, I’m too BUSY
to go to the doctor! Ibuprofen and prayer have been all the healing
I’ve needed.
He left the paperwork from the body shop on my table last night and I
look at it with an eye towards lessons I can glean from it. God often
shows me lessons in the everyday things that I deal with and this report
called a ‘preliminary estimate’ is no exception.
It gives the usual information: Who is the insured? Who is the owner?
Address, phone number, claim number, policy number, deductible, date of
loss, type of loss—and most interesting to me—Point of Impact. “6.
Rear”
We got hit from behind. Going down the page of the report there is more
information—the parts that were damaged and what it will cost to repair
that damage. There are eleven items that will be replaced. The cost of
labor is estimated in a column on the right. Even the amount of PAINT
has been estimated, along with the clear coat that will protect that
bright yellow exterior. Happily, the line that says “Customer Pay” is
$0. The “Insurance Pay” line isn’t quite as happy—they will fork out
$4205.91—which is a lot less than we thought it would be.
Wouldn’t it be great if they had body shops for US? We could go in and
get an estimate. Do you need some rear work done? After the age of
fifty, most of us DO! Maybe it’s your right quarter panel—or your
cruise control. Maybe it’s just a few chips that can be improved
cosmetically—or maybe it is mechanical stuff, like knee joints or
ingrown toenails. I don’t know the dollar amount that my own body shop
estimate would show—but I know there is a LOT that could be done to
restore my body to the way it looked when I was in perfect condition.
Gee, when WAS that? Maybe the day I was born? Maybe at the age of
fourteen? I didn’t think so at the time! Just like a new car, we begin
to lose that perfection the moment we’re driven off the showroom floor.
Maintenance work always helps. We should protect our investment. Ten
minutes after we got back home, my guy was out washing the bugs off the
car. Even though it was going in the shop the next day, he didn’t want
the paint that was GOOD to have bugs on it. Even though the back end
was crunched, he lovingly vacuumed and washed and polished the rest of
the body. We still brush our teeth even after we have cavities, don’t
we?
We can’t give up on our blessings because a part of them has been
compromised. I was watching a video the other day where some Vietnamese
refugees were caring for an aging loved one. It was touching—the woman
was clearly and seriously ill, barely able to keep her eyes open. Her
loved ones were stroking that ravaged body and face, loving her
completely and with every ounce of devotion that they could summon
up—the fact that she was damaged had nothing—and everything—to do with
the love that was lavished on her.
“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who
lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to
yourself.” 1 Corinthians 6:19 (NLT)
When you ask Jesus to save you and commit your soul to eternity through
the blood He shed on the cross, you’ve bought the perfect insurance
policy. He paid it all. There is no cost to the customer. And in that
day, He will lovingly and COMPLETELY restore our bodies to the perfect
state. We will be showroom perfect in ways we NEVER knew in this
lifetime. Because we are HIS body. In spite of the dents and dings and
collisions we experience here, we will be good as new there.
No, we’ll be better! So shine up your chassis, change your oil when
recommended and look forward to the day when you will run better than
you ever have before. I am looking forward to that day!
Fondly,
Stephanie
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