My First Car
The Cream Puff
It was 1980. I just graduated from college and had a job where I walked three miles to and from work. I didn’t mind the walk, but as Wisconsin winter approached, I determined to purchase a car. I knew a used car salesman who found me a “cream puff.” It was a 1969 Buick Riviera–my first car. The price? A whopping $600. It had no mechanical issues and the heater worked great. What a luxury to go grocery shopping and not have to carry the brown bags home on foot. Plus, the car saved travel time on my work day.
The 1969 Buick Riviera was not an economy car. It was a big boat. Its heft made driving safer in winter, which seemed like a wise choice at the time. The only issue was that the upper flat where my roommate and I lived had been built when cars were first available. My Buick barely fit in the garage. Parking without scratching the paint job took precision and patience. This was tricky enough on a daily basis, but harder still after a snowstorm.
Broken Mirrors
The dreaded moment happened when I got ready to drive to work. I put the car in reverse and slowly backed up. Pop! I hit the edge of the garage door opening with the driver’s sideview mirror and it popped off. I picked up the mirror, set it inside the vehicle, then drove cautiously to work.
Before I had a chance to get the sideview mirror repaired, I opened the car door to discover that the rear view mirror had fallen to the dashboard. It had been glued to the windshield and apparently the glue lost its stickiness. With no sideview or rearview mirror to aid my driving, I recognized the vulnerability of the situation and panicked. I didn’t know what to do. I had no idea how to fix either mirror.
Is God attentive?
Fear seized me. What if I had an accident on the way home? What if a police officer recognized my situation and pulled me over? In those days smartphones and cell phones didn’t exist. I needed to go home to use a phone. I needed to look in the Yellow Pages directory, then call around to find a place that might do the work. I would then need to drive in my mirrorless car to that place and hope I had enough money to cover the cost.
I had not yet learned to trust God with the details of my life. I believed He wouldn’t come through for me. Shame held me in its grip. As a result, fear manifested whenever I had a need or didn’t know what to do. I had to figure out life on my own and knew I didn’t have the appropriate tools.
God Demonstrated His Care
I arrived safely at the service station where the mechanic made the necessary fixes. Charges were minimal. Relief washed over me. Did I recognize it as God’s provision? No. Not yet. I carried too much hurt from the past to risk believing God’s faithfulness.
Later that winter. while driving on slick icy roads, the brakes of my car went out. Frightened, I looked to the right and there was a service station. I slowed my speed and pulled into the parking lot where the mechanics came running out to help. They recognized the problem and stepped in front of my car–the big boat of a Buick–and brought it to a stop. This time. I could not deny what happened. It was God who provided the service station and the mechanics willing to help.
God kept pursuing my heart even when I couldn’t yet risk trusting Him. It took time and many demonstrations of His interest before I became ready to believe He cared. His patience with me won out. His love overcame my fear and stubbornness. He displayed His worthiness to be trusted. He will do the same for all of us if we have eyes to see Him.
I Peter 5:7 (NKJV) “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash