I have seen the movie so many times I should be able to quote the entire dialogue. Trevor used to love to haul logs and help thresh the corn. But those days were long passed him. He sat in the yard amongst rusty old cars and machinery waiting to be melted down and reused. That was the reason Edward came to the yard that day. He came to get a load of scrap metal to take to the steel works to be melted down. After meeting Trevor all that Edward could say was “It’s a shame. It’s a shame.” They were going to cut Trevor up and sell him for scrap. You see, Trevor is a traction engine and Edward, well he is a small steam train. Edward saw through the rusty exterior to see the usefulness of the old traction tractor. As the story progresses it is surprisingly the church who comes to Trevor’s rescue. Buying him from certain destruction, giving him what he needed most, some paint, polish, and oil and in no time he was good as new.
Seeing potential in people can sometimes be a bit more challenging and the road of transformation more complicated. But the first step is to see the next is to do something. Compassion that has no action is really no compassion at all.
Most of us have times in our lives when we questioned our general usefulness. It seemed like life was on an express train to the scrap yard. That is until someone saw us. Someone saw potential we struggled to see in ourselves. They came alongside us with compassion and gave us the opportunity to be as good as new again. Are there people in your life that need to hear a message of continued hope? Do you see them?
Blessings,
Pastor Stephen
This is the Kingdom of God. This is the power of the Gospel. To change hearts and make friends out of enemies. To unite people who have no reason to be united. Only in the Kingdom of God is it possible for there to be true unity across economic, gender, ethnic, and social lines. This is the example Jesus gave to us and to which Paul calls us in Galatians, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (3:28, NIV).