We spent the better part of two hours Saturday doing some paperwork, my Sweetie and I.
It was a beautiful autumn day in these parts, so we’d much prefer to have been out enjoying the environs rather than find ourselves hunkered down, digitally dotting “i”s and crossing “t”s on a confounding set of online forms. But in that moment the Powers That Be seemed to have other ideas in mind for us.
“Powers” in this case comprising a set of gargantuan corporate entities: a rental car company, a credit card outfit and two major auto insurance firms.
We’d recently found ourselves in a bit of a scrape, you see, during our trip to Shenandoah National Park. Returning to a trailhead parking lot, we’d discovered a note on the windshield of our rental SUV…and sure enough, a nasty set of dings and scratches on the left-rear fender.
While it was really nice of the gal to leave a note, I’m still trying to figure out how she managed to hit a car that wasn’t moving. But perhaps that’s a blog for another day. The upshot for us was an unwanted lesson in the intricacies of Collision Damage Claims Recovery.
What a pleasant way to spend a beautiful autumn Saturday…NOT.
What it boils down to, it seems, is forms: lots and lots of digital forms and uploads. The Corporate Behemoths are being pleasant enough about the whole process, I guess, but it’s clear their deadlines and procedures don’t give a hoot about my desire to enjoy a beautiful fall day. The Damage Recovery System has been engaged, and it now must be fed with all Relevant Supporting Data.
All this, to repair a vehicle I never expect to sit in, drive or even see again.
Yeah, that’s gonna leave a mark…
It’s hard not to feel like a bit of a pawn in this whole process. I wasn’t at fault, and it ain’t my car…so why must I now do the bidding of the Behemoths? But that’s the way worldly power works, isn’t it?
We might be minding our own business, or maybe even doing a bit of good within our circles of influence…but then circumstances swing into motion that relieve us of the notion that we were ever really in control of our next move.
And at that point, we have options: We can decide to kick against the goad, and wind up embittered or angry; we can work to change unjust (or inhumane) systems; or we can recognize (and perhaps accept) our relative powerlessness – and then give the outcome ultimately to God.
The third option seems to be along the lines of what Jesus has in mind in this week’s gospel passage, when he advises the Pharisees and Herodians to “repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”
It requires a delicate balance, sorting out our interactions with the Powers That Be. But the task can perhaps become a bit easier for people of faith, because we’re given the grace to keep the things of this world in their proper perspective – understanding always and everywhere that God’s got this. Indeed, as Isaiah reminds us: God is the Lord, and there is no other.
Not MY car…but still useful for helping me gain some fruitful perspectives.
Let us pause now…to recall that we are in the presence of the Holy & Merciful One.
IHS
With Us Still 