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The Right Track
Several years ago I was in Indiana with my friend Mitch. In the hotel where we were staying there was an exhibition of black~and~white photography. Among the photographs there was a train and a steam engine. We understood that the train was still running but, at present, it was pulled by a diesel engine. The old steam engine was missing.
I tried to get some information about the original engine, and all I could find was that the engine was somewhere on a side track. Having already decided to look for it, Mitch and I set out along the track until it ended, but we could not find the engine. We took, however, a left turn, and continued to walk a few hundred meters. Then, when I looked at my left, I spotted the engine from the black~and~white photographs. We boarded the engine, and soon we realized that the only thing in working order was the bell. I asked Mitch what was missing about the engine, but he did not understand my question. ^Do you think it is still alive?^, I asked again! ^No, it isn t^, he said, ^it s dead!^. Indeed, the engine was in a bad condition, the steam pipes were corroded, and it appeared that it will never ride again. Then, when we walked towards the front, we noticed that it^s number was 72. Seen from the front, it looked still magnificent, almost threatening! Later on, thoughts went through my mind about locomotive no. 72.
Perhaps this might be a good comparison when we look at ourselves. We might become lukewarm without knowing it. We can be shunted on a deserted side track without realizing it. We, too, can be gradually seized up that we lose the ambition to seek God with all our mind. If we feel too comfortable and prefer to remain that way, chances are that we would reach the point beyond repentance, and even lose God^s spirit. We, like the old steam engine, would reach the point beyond repair. Let us not fall asleep and lose out on such a great salvation. We know that God is full of compassion, and that He can bring us back, but that will not happen against our will. Keep on the right track! Let us not be like locomotive no. 72.
Simon Post, December 1998