Worn Out Bodies

I dearly love the car I drive. It is a green 1996 Geo Prism with 165,000 miles on it. (It has the same engine as a Toyota.) The engine always starts, is very reliable, and has not caused us any problems. Lately, however, the body has been wearing out. The paint has faded spots all over the top, it rattles very noticeably, and all the front door handles, both inside and out, have broken. The first one to break was the outside driver's side handle. Last winter a rare icy precipitation froze the door handle, and tugging on it with excessive force, I snapped it off. Walter was able to rig it so we can open the door, and now he's working on fixing the passenger side door handle, which broke off when we were in Austin last week.

Doesn't everything wear out with time? My mother, age 86, recently experienced that. When she fell on the carpeted living room floor, her fragile bones couldn't take it, and she ended up with a broken hip. It shattered her independence and her comfortable routine as well.

Well, as much as I can, I try to take good care of this body of mine. I know it will someday give up its efforts to keep me in one piece. One day my spirit will shed this well-used shell and I will join a grand assembly of undeserving, forgiven believers, all clad in brand new bodies that will never wear out.