James Byrd's business card reads, "With God all things are possible." It's not just a slogan! I met Mr. Byrd yesterday while driving Highway 49 in Mississippi. His business, Byrd's Antique Cars & Trucks, was on the opposite side of the four-lane divided highway.
I was on a Car Safari. For me this means gazing at rusted-out Detroit metal trumps "making time". So I braked hard, cut across the median, and pulled into his lot. Turns out it was my best move of the day.
Byrd's dog greeted me. I'm sure he would have torn me to pieces were it not for the chain holding him back. Gratefully, the chain was in better condition than some of the antique cars lining the lot.
Mr. Byrd approached me a few minutes later with a slow and deliberate gait. Understandably so -- James Byrd is totally blind! He lost his sight five years ago, though the degenerative condition has been drawing the curtains on his sight for much longer. That hasn't stopped him. He still pulls and installs engines, makes repairs, and tackles projects around his lot.
James got me a bottle of water and we walked and talked. He showed me two engines he has recently installed, a trailer he's building, and a high voltage electrical challenge he has resolved (think about that one!). I asked James how he still works when he can't see. His answer: memory and feel.
This man understands cars, but more importantly he understands life. "I just want fellers to understand that they can do things if they put their minds to it," he said.
If you want to know James' secret, you'll find it on his business card and his cap. The business card describes God's power, the cap the goodness of God in sharing it. God has the power to forgive sins. His grace is his willingness to extend it to us who don't deserve it. Jesus and James Byrd want us to know this. Once we understand the length to which God goes to save us, we understand that no situation in life is beyond his power.
And Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:23-26 ESV)
STAY FOCUSED TODAY: Whether it is the help to change a life or change a tire, with God all things are possible. Lean on him for your strength today.