Grounded...no kidding...

Grounded…no kidding…

Theology in the Trenches

by Kathleen Kjolhaug

Cruisin we were, but to a halt we soon did come as the flashing lights broke through the rays of daylight just up ahead. We kept pace with traffic as we slowly maneuvered our place in line, soon coming upon the traffic stopper.

Just to our right, in a sculpted ditch forming a shallow slant uphill was one big rectangular twenty ton metal box. I know this because I asked my driver. Being married to the man for over thirty years, I knew him to be a trusty guestimater…and so I took note.

 As we passed with cheek pressed to window and neck careening until the last morsel of the scene could be seen, I took in as much as I could. Without any first hand witnesses to converse with, it was anyone’s guess as to what had happened. The lone metal beast was an accident all its own and the memory marks embedded within us like ruts in the ditch.

Inscribed upon the metal box were huge letters for all passersby to see. In full view they read, “Fed-Ex-Ground.”

“No kidding,” I retorted. “That puts a whole new meaning to that phrase.”

Ground to a halt it was, and as I careened, I half expected to see packages strewn round and about, but there were none. Like icing to a cake it would have made topped off the scene.

“I bet that guy’s out of a job,” was the only comment coming from my left.

“Really?” I retorted surprised a little grace would not be in order.

“On a beautiful day with no weather conditions to lay blame? I bet it’s a done deal.”

Noteworthy too were the number of Fed-Ex trucks coming our way which appeared to be on a  rescue mission to gather packages needing to be delivered…on time.

Of course, that was our theory, but truth-be-told, it was good advertising for the company. I mean, each and every passerby for miles and miles took their time reading those letters lying upon the ground…Fed-Ex Ground… and after all, since they demonstrated their motto so effectively, I’m sure I wasn’t the only one to have the words permanently etched within. If the driver could think out of the box so to speak, he might even put in a copyright for the idea and sell it to his higher ups (No pun intended)…and maybe…just maybe he could make a little lemonade out of the lemons he’d squeezed that particular sunny day upon the free way of life.

Like Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians, we too “pray that out of the riches of His glory, He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being grounded in love, may have the power with all the saints to comprehend the width and height and depth of His love” (Ephesians 3:16-18) No doubt a 20 ton truck couldn’t begin to hold all He has for you…for me…for us…Amen.