Many of you know, I traded my Tahoe in for a mini-van about six months ago. Now, my Tahoe was not a fancy one. Just a basic model. But I loved being up high and having the feel of a truck. Maybe a little power trip? I don't know, but anyway. I got to a point where the need for function trumped the look and feel of the Tahoe. Bless it.
So, when an opportunity presented itself, I jumped headfirst for cliched mom life. And I almost jumped for joy the first time I went to Sam's and, wait for it, filled the back of that sweet old Honda Odyssey full of food...and had ROOM TO SPARE...JUST IN THE BACK!!! Seriously, y'all. If you have a Tahoe you know what I mean. Very little storage behind that third row. So we have been rocking along for a number of months now.
But, when the newness wears off...even on an older used vehicle...you start to see it for what it really is. I was so in awe of the inside awesomeness in the beginning (hello, dvd player that is loaded from the FRONT, captain's chairs with removable middle seat, SLIDING DOORS!...), that I didn't care about a couple of dents and scratches along the way.
When we purchased the vehicle, it had two small dents on the hood. It still does. But it also has scratches and claw marks where our puppy has jumped on the car as we all pile in, desperate to get inside (which she does as soon as the sliding doors open, Lord help me!). It has bike handle scratches from a too optimistic boy trying to ride through a narrow space between vehicles. It also has a new dent in the back hatch where I sort of rolled into my hubby's truck bumper as I was backing out (it was not in its usual place...it happens, right?).
So anyway, yesterday I went out of town for a funeral and was able to have lunch with one of my best friends from college while there. I was feeling excited to see her, along with many folks I hadn't seen in years, but then I looked at my van. Yikes...I mean, yikes. Ha! I was planning to just park to the side so no one would notice it (maybe?) but finally resigned myself to just get over it. I mean, it is what it is. But I still sighed as I parked and gave it one last glance before I went inside the restaurant where my friend and I were meeting.
Now, the friend I was meeting is actually the one who got my wheels turning about mini-van life in the first place. I rode to the beach with her a couple of years ago and found myself secretly coveting her new Honda O. And I expected to see her newer version, perfectly neat and clean, in all its glory as we exited the restaurant to say our goodbyes.
But, y'all. It was glorious! As we approached her car, a joy filled my heart. There, on the side of her super mom vehicle, was not only a dent the size of mine, but two scratches running on the side as well! Seriously! I told her that made me feel so much better to see that I was not the only one! She laughed and shared where her battle scars had come from, pointing out her missing back windshield wiper along the way.
That precious friend has no idea how she blessed my heart. She is beautiful and so very smart and just awesome in every way. Yet, she is just fine driving around in her dented, scratched, mama-van. And owning it. She shared the heart of Christ with me, without even trying.
Isn't it wonderful when the Lord gives you sweet encouragement right when you need it most? Even about the silliest, most ridiculous things? I beat myself up for caring about how my car looks and feeling too materialistic, and yet, He loves me enough to give me reassurance and confidence in Him.
And, let me tell ya', as I drove home, I wasn't thinking about what I was driving. I was praising a big, marvelous, funny God. One who would send me straight to a friend with a sister-dent, right when I needed her most. Because it wasn't just her van that blessed my heart that day. It was our conversation about real struggles with real things in every day life that blessed me more.
We all have "dents" in our lives. Whether in our vehicles or in our hearts. we all need friends to come alongside us and show us their dents and scratches as well. They are one of life's greatest gifts.
So, here's to lived-in vehicles and precious friends who walk alongside us through this crazy life. And the One who is with us through it all.
(Proverbs 27:17)
P.S. I won't lie...I do hope that somewhere in my future, the Lord sees fit for me to have a shiny, scratch-free, dent-free, rockin' SUV. But until then...I'm savoring each little moment in my current beat up mini-van awesomeness.:)
So, when an opportunity presented itself, I jumped headfirst for cliched mom life. And I almost jumped for joy the first time I went to Sam's and, wait for it, filled the back of that sweet old Honda Odyssey full of food...and had ROOM TO SPARE...JUST IN THE BACK!!! Seriously, y'all. If you have a Tahoe you know what I mean. Very little storage behind that third row. So we have been rocking along for a number of months now.
But, when the newness wears off...even on an older used vehicle...you start to see it for what it really is. I was so in awe of the inside awesomeness in the beginning (hello, dvd player that is loaded from the FRONT, captain's chairs with removable middle seat, SLIDING DOORS!...), that I didn't care about a couple of dents and scratches along the way.
When we purchased the vehicle, it had two small dents on the hood. It still does. But it also has scratches and claw marks where our puppy has jumped on the car as we all pile in, desperate to get inside (which she does as soon as the sliding doors open, Lord help me!). It has bike handle scratches from a too optimistic boy trying to ride through a narrow space between vehicles. It also has a new dent in the back hatch where I sort of rolled into my hubby's truck bumper as I was backing out (it was not in its usual place...it happens, right?).
So anyway, yesterday I went out of town for a funeral and was able to have lunch with one of my best friends from college while there. I was feeling excited to see her, along with many folks I hadn't seen in years, but then I looked at my van. Yikes...I mean, yikes. Ha! I was planning to just park to the side so no one would notice it (maybe?) but finally resigned myself to just get over it. I mean, it is what it is. But I still sighed as I parked and gave it one last glance before I went inside the restaurant where my friend and I were meeting.
Now, the friend I was meeting is actually the one who got my wheels turning about mini-van life in the first place. I rode to the beach with her a couple of years ago and found myself secretly coveting her new Honda O. And I expected to see her newer version, perfectly neat and clean, in all its glory as we exited the restaurant to say our goodbyes.
But, y'all. It was glorious! As we approached her car, a joy filled my heart. There, on the side of her super mom vehicle, was not only a dent the size of mine, but two scratches running on the side as well! Seriously! I told her that made me feel so much better to see that I was not the only one! She laughed and shared where her battle scars had come from, pointing out her missing back windshield wiper along the way.
That precious friend has no idea how she blessed my heart. She is beautiful and so very smart and just awesome in every way. Yet, she is just fine driving around in her dented, scratched, mama-van. And owning it. She shared the heart of Christ with me, without even trying.
Isn't it wonderful when the Lord gives you sweet encouragement right when you need it most? Even about the silliest, most ridiculous things? I beat myself up for caring about how my car looks and feeling too materialistic, and yet, He loves me enough to give me reassurance and confidence in Him.
And, let me tell ya', as I drove home, I wasn't thinking about what I was driving. I was praising a big, marvelous, funny God. One who would send me straight to a friend with a sister-dent, right when I needed her most. Because it wasn't just her van that blessed my heart that day. It was our conversation about real struggles with real things in every day life that blessed me more.
We all have "dents" in our lives. Whether in our vehicles or in our hearts. we all need friends to come alongside us and show us their dents and scratches as well. They are one of life's greatest gifts.
So, here's to lived-in vehicles and precious friends who walk alongside us through this crazy life. And the One who is with us through it all.
P.S. I won't lie...I do hope that somewhere in my future, the Lord sees fit for me to have a shiny, scratch-free, dent-free, rockin' SUV. But until then...I'm savoring each little moment in my current beat up mini-van awesomeness.:)
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