The Car

One day the teacher was approached by a young student. "Teacher, I feel that God is calling me. I think I have a vocation to serve God."

"You are fortunate to feel you are called, to feel you have a vocation," replied the teacher. "Yes, I thought so too," the student answered proudly, "since many are called, but few are chosen."

"Everyone who is born is called," replied the teacher, "and in a sense everyone is at the same time chosen – given not only a lifework and purpose, but a destiny. Yet, of those chosen, few choose to choose."

The student wore a puzzled look and asked, "Teacher, you confuse me – what does that mean?"

The teacher smiled and began a story:

Once a father gave his son a brand new car. It was sleek and beautiful. It had leather seats, a marvelous stereo system and was filled with the latest computer technology. Moreover, the car was complete with a huge 408 V-8 engine capable of great speeds. The son was so proud of his car. Each day as he drove to and from school he felt he was the most fortunate person in the world.

After he finished school, he took his prized car out a couple of times on the freeway and drove it at speeds thirty miles an hour over the speed limit. While this was exhilarating, the car was actually capable of much higher speeds. However, the enormous potential power of the vehicle frightened the young man.

As the years passed, he thought his car was so beautiful and comfortable that he began to live in it. It was not a conscious choice but rather a decision that occurred gradually. He began to drive it less and less, and more and more he ate and slept in his car. In time, the car's tires lost air and went flat, which by then didn't really bother him since he never drove the car anymore. The once-sleek racing engine grew rusty, and families of mice built their nests in it. The battery went dead, the oil seals dried out and the engine hoses cracked.

However, the car's plush leather interior remained as comfortable as ever. The young man, now middle-aged, no longer desired to go racing wildly with the wind. Indeed, all he wanted was to enjoy his comfortable car, to sink deeply into its soft leather seats, close his eyes and listen to the stunning stereo system. As a matter of fact, what he most enjoyed about his car was that it wasn't going anywhere!

– Anonymous

July 16, 2006