200,000 Miles...
Last night, my car broke the 200,000 mile mark. I was about a mile from the house and I noticed that Joyce had literally reached an important mile mark. Honestly, I had been dreading it for a while due to the reputation PT Cruisers have in reference to longevity. A friend of mine also has a PT Cruiser and has been having issues with her car for a few years now. My car has undergone the same problems, so I figured she (Joyce) was destined to give out on me, but she hasn't.
Reaching 200,000 miles was a reminder of how far we've gotten since 2009. Joyce is a 2007 Chrysler PT Cruiser that was sold to me from a family friend. She was initially offered to my mom, but she texted me one day, asking if I liked PT Cruisers and if so, she knew someone who was selling one. During the purchase of this car, I was in college, doing poorly as a student. My relationship with my girlfriend at the time was on the rocks. I recall seeing a photo of me putting gas in her for the first time with a broken hand (due to punching a wall while arguing with my girlfriend). Though I was smiling in the picture, internally, things were broken and in the process of breaking.
Joyce and I went through a lot. She drove me and my ex-girlfriend to the clinic for her abortion, she drove me to Jacksonville, FL to see one of my other ex-girlfriends, she drove me back and forth to Atlanta to visit my sister, she got me to the university when I was running late for class, and she got me to work during my undergrad experience. She's had many visits to the car shop , whether she was getting standard oil changes, new tires, or having more detailed procedures done. As of now, the passenger side seat-belt sensor is malfunctioning , the trunk doesn't open without a key, and the driver side window will not row down. The great thing about her is that she has 4 new tires and a new water pump to help keep the car cool. The water pump alone cost me nearly $2000 and I was working paycheck-to-paycheck (only God). It's because of her shortcomings that I realize though she didn't seem reliable, she was indeed resilient and relentless. It wasn't what I was driving, but who was giving me the opportunity to do so.
The question I had to ask myself yesterday was, If God could protect me from 32,000 miles to 200, 000, what makes me think He can't maintain His reputation ? Reminds me of the children of Israel once they were freed from Egypt. If God could bring them out, what made them think He couldn't take them into the land of milk and honey? He's the same God of the Old Testament as He is today. It's typical for me to worry about the future since my fiance and I are making plans for before and post the wedding. I've already given Joyce an expiration date (three years). Who's to say that God will allow her 10 more? There are times like this that my faith is tested beyond what I'm use to experiencing. This is intended to make me stronger because something bigger is coming and I need to be prepared. Maybe a better car is coming and I needed to be in a position where I could handle the responsibility. How can I handle Janet (my next car) if I can't handle Joyce? How could the Israelites handle a new world if they couldn't handle the old one?
Joyce has taught me a lot. She taught me how to depend on God and let Him work out the plans that no one knows of (Jeremiah 29:11). She taught me to invest in what I have so that it can grow into that which will help me later. She taught me that though life changes, one thing is always consistent...and that's God's grace and mercy. Joyce and I have much more to do until He says otherwise. She may be getting older, but she still keeps me cool in the summer and bumps my favorite CDs. 200,000 miles is not the end, but the beginning of a new road trip that will change everything.
Reaching 200,000 miles was a reminder of how far we've gotten since 2009. Joyce is a 2007 Chrysler PT Cruiser that was sold to me from a family friend. She was initially offered to my mom, but she texted me one day, asking if I liked PT Cruisers and if so, she knew someone who was selling one. During the purchase of this car, I was in college, doing poorly as a student. My relationship with my girlfriend at the time was on the rocks. I recall seeing a photo of me putting gas in her for the first time with a broken hand (due to punching a wall while arguing with my girlfriend). Though I was smiling in the picture, internally, things were broken and in the process of breaking.
Joyce and I went through a lot. She drove me and my ex-girlfriend to the clinic for her abortion, she drove me to Jacksonville, FL to see one of my other ex-girlfriends, she drove me back and forth to Atlanta to visit my sister, she got me to the university when I was running late for class, and she got me to work during my undergrad experience. She's had many visits to the car shop , whether she was getting standard oil changes, new tires, or having more detailed procedures done. As of now, the passenger side seat-belt sensor is malfunctioning , the trunk doesn't open without a key, and the driver side window will not row down. The great thing about her is that she has 4 new tires and a new water pump to help keep the car cool. The water pump alone cost me nearly $2000 and I was working paycheck-to-paycheck (only God). It's because of her shortcomings that I realize though she didn't seem reliable, she was indeed resilient and relentless. It wasn't what I was driving, but who was giving me the opportunity to do so.
The question I had to ask myself yesterday was, If God could protect me from 32,000 miles to 200, 000, what makes me think He can't maintain His reputation ? Reminds me of the children of Israel once they were freed from Egypt. If God could bring them out, what made them think He couldn't take them into the land of milk and honey? He's the same God of the Old Testament as He is today. It's typical for me to worry about the future since my fiance and I are making plans for before and post the wedding. I've already given Joyce an expiration date (three years). Who's to say that God will allow her 10 more? There are times like this that my faith is tested beyond what I'm use to experiencing. This is intended to make me stronger because something bigger is coming and I need to be prepared. Maybe a better car is coming and I needed to be in a position where I could handle the responsibility. How can I handle Janet (my next car) if I can't handle Joyce? How could the Israelites handle a new world if they couldn't handle the old one?
Joyce has taught me a lot. She taught me how to depend on God and let Him work out the plans that no one knows of (Jeremiah 29:11). She taught me to invest in what I have so that it can grow into that which will help me later. She taught me that though life changes, one thing is always consistent...and that's God's grace and mercy. Joyce and I have much more to do until He says otherwise. She may be getting older, but she still keeps me cool in the summer and bumps my favorite CDs. 200,000 miles is not the end, but the beginning of a new road trip that will change everything.
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