Valet Parking

I was meeting three friends for lunch.
I went to grade school and high school with two of those friends.
We all met the other friend in high school.
So many memories are packed into our friendship.

The sign of a good friendship is being able to start right where you left off.
No need to explain or go back to chapter one.
Chapters of our lives have been shared along the way.
No need to see each other all the time, but when we do plan our visit, it’s as if we never left.

We were all looking forward to our time together.
We wanted to meet in a central location.
Since one of my friends was coming from Virginia, a place in Delaware was suggested.
It was a favorite place of my Virginia friend.

I plugged the Hotel Dupont into my GPS.
A stunning building, built in 1911 with its grand opening in 1913.
The architecture is beautiful.
The chandeliers in the dining room are large and lovely.

My husband knew that there was a parking garage nearby.
It’s about a two block walk, he told me.
Me, the walker, have no objection to walking, but I knew I was not wearing walking shoes.
My husband suggested I use valet parking.

I saw the beautiful hotel.
My friends were already inside, since with traffic, my hour drive took thirty minutes more.
I pulled into the valet parking area directly in front of the building.
A man greeted me and gave me a ticket with a number on it; I gave him the keys.

I went inside to meet my friends.
I had no idea where the man was going to park my car.
Even though I have keyless entry, he needed the keys to open the door and start the car.
I walked into the spacious lobby with its marble floors, taking in the beauty of the details.

My friends and I sat for three hours.
We could have sat three hours more.
We try to get together as often as we can, but it’s never soon enough.
There is always a lot of life to share.

We ordered our food.
Our delicious lunch was served quickly.
Remember…as we talked about things we hadn’t thought of in years.
We filled each other in our our lives, our children, and our grandchildren.

After tea, and coffee, and more conversation, it was time to go.
One friend parked in the garage and walked away after hugs were given all around.
The rest of us had used valet parking.
The man, who had our keys and gave us our ticket, was nowhere to be found.

I wondered where he parked my car.
As I looked around, I saw two cars parked along the curb right in front of the hotel.
I saw the car magnet I knew so well.
It was my car, which was parked literally outside the front door.

My other two friends drove together.
Her car was parked in front of mine.
My car was just steps away.
Our cars were parked next to gray cones that said, Valet parking only.

I paid for valet service.
The man drove my car a few feet away from the front door.
Without paying for valet parking, those spots were not available to us.
We were given a ticket, which was the guarantee that our car would be returned to us safely.

But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.” For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. (2 Corinthians 1:18-22)

The Holy Spirit is our deposit.
The Holy Spirit is our guarantee of what is to come.
I needed a ticket in order to get my car.
The ticket was the guarantee that my car, and not someone else’s, would be returned to me.

My keys opened the door of my car.
In the glove compartment, my insurance card and owner’s card can be found.
Those things are proof of ownership.
Those things prove that it is my car.

Even though I could see my car a few feet away from the front door, I couldn’t drive away.
I needed the key in order to start my car.
Even though we have a knowledge of heaven, we need the deposit, the guarantee to get there.
We need the Holy Spirit; we cannot move forward in faith without Him.

I’m glad my husband suggested valet parking.
It was convenient.
It made me think of Truth that I don’t ponder often enough.
The Holy Spirit is keeping safe for me what I have entrusted to Him.

Amen and Amen.

I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day. (2 Timothy 1:12)