I did not get my driver’s license until I was 24 years old. Up until then, I had fears about other cars hitting me, or worse yet, me hitting them, so I had no desire to drive. But, when I finally decided it was time to take my test, I passed with flying colors. Since I started driving, I have always had a car that was handed down to me from someone in my family. Not to say that I haven’t been grateful for that (cause, believe me, I AM!), but that has kind of always meant that the car I was driving around was on its last leg… or at least close to it.
My first car, which I affectionally called “Rusty” was just that…R-U-S-T-Y! It was a little Honda Accord that got fantastic gas mileage but also had a few character flaws. For example, I had accidentally spilled a Grande peppermint mocha all over the heating venting, so the heater and air conditioning unit didn’t work. And then there was the little case of not having a working speedometer or odometer, so I had to prop up a GPS system in my line of vision just to know how fast I was going. Suffice to say, that car finally died a slow and painful death, coming to the end of its life (thankfully) just as the breakdown lane appeared at the end of a local bridge.
My next car, which I once again affectionally named, was “Rusty Number Two.” And while Rusty 2.0 was definitely not as rusty as his namesake, he came with quirks of his own. For instance, the gas mileage on that car was horrible and, since I happen to work very close to home, I never could tell if the heat/air I turned on actually worked since the car needed lots of time to warm up. Towards the end of Rusty Squared’s life, he needed new brakes and new tires. But what was his ultimate demise was a fuel pump that decided to stop working the moment after I filled him up with gas. Oh well.
Now to be honest, when Rusty Number Two broke down, I was frustrated. I knew it was coming. In fact, for months I had been saving money, but I wasn’t actually prepared to spend that money and was hoping he would hold out on me a few more months. I remember standing out in the cold at the gas station, waiting for both AAA and my father to show up and help, thinking, “Really, God?!?! You really couldn’t have thrown me a bone here and had this car hold out until after Christmas?!?!”.
Flash Forward to this week. After a stressful time of figuring out new insurance, plates, registration, signing more paperwork then I knew was humanly possible, and putting down a down payment in an amount more substantial than I have ever spent in one moment, I am now the proud owner of my very own car. This is the first car I have ever purchased, and its way fancier than anything I have ever driven before. In fact, I kept looking at it as I walk up to it and thinking, “Holy Cow! Is this really mine?!?!”
It’s funny how in the matter of a couple of weeks I went from being mad at God for giving me one more thing I just didn’t think I could handle, to praising Him for blessing me with something so far beyond what I feel deserving of! Perspective is everything, I guess! But seriously, who knew in the midst of the pain I felt and stress I went through when my last car died, that God was going to have this beautiful thing prepared for me! My new car, which I think I am going to name “Florence” because that just seems fancy enough to be her name, happened to show up on the car dealership lot the very day I went looking for a new car. Not only that but she happened to be the very Make and Model I was looking for and exactly in my price range. I don’t know why God blessed me with such a nice car, I certainly don’t deserve it, but God am I thankful! It seems something God is showing me in all of this is that while I so often think He's not there for me when I need Him, He actually always is and He always will be right by my side working things out in ways I never could have imagined! Thank you God for loving me so!
Jess
