The Buggy Whip

God has a funny way of speaking to us.  He often uses images and metaphors that we understand in order to speak directly to us.

It was that way with me this Sunday.  He spoke to me in a way that I get… at a time that I needed it… and it encouraged me.  But I felt that this word was not just for me and so I shared it with a few people.  And they, too, seemed to get encouraged by it.

So I will share it with you.

You see, as a profession I am involved with innovation.  And God knows that.  So the other day He reminded me of the story of the Buggy Whip.

The story of the buggy whip with regard to innovation goes this way… that as soon as the automobile became available to the masses, the buggy whip market virtually disappeared.  Once the instrument of choice for driving the buggy forward by prodding the horse, the buggy whip was now replaced by the accelerator pedal that prodded the horses under the hood.

How is the story of the buggy whip encouraging and why would God say this to me… and to you?

When I was in high school, each year there was a Christmas concert.  Before the night of the concert the band would give a rehearsal show to the student body in the gymnasium.

And in that concert there was one song that everyone looked forward to: Sleigh Ride.

Why?  Because in that song they used a buggy whip.  We looked so forward to this song that the band realized, “hey, we don’t use this whip in any other song all year.  Why don’t we raffle it off to raise money?”  And that is what they did.  They would raffle off the buggy whip and the winner would be announced after the first rendition of Sleigh Ride.  And then, the winner would get a chance to crack the whip as they played it again.

If you ever feel like you are not fitting into the band, or the orchestra… if you ever feel like, in the Body of Christ, you seem outdated or unusable… if you feel like so much is going on and you just aren’t a part of it…  that you used to be so involved... so effective... but now, well, not so much...

Be encouraged.  You are just like the buggy whip.

There is a song that is made just for you.  A song with a sound only you can make.  And when that song is played… you will be the only who is right for it… the only one who can finish it.

God has that song for you.  And it may not be right now that it is getting played.  But it is on the playbill.

Or maybe the song has begun, and all the other instruments are already in tune and in sync… but you feel anxious… like you don’t know how God will use you…

But He will.

He will pick you up in His hand at just the right time…

And He will play you.  He is the only one Who can.

People wouldn’t consider a buggy whip a musical instrument.  They may not consider you as being fit for God’s orchestra…

But the Lord sees what other people can’t.

And He sees you.  And loves you…

And He can’t wait for the moment when everyone else sees Him “play” you in the song He has written just for you.

SDG