Jan. 22, 2013

God chose the things of this world that are common and looked down on. He chose what is not considered to be important to do away with what is considered to be important.  So no one can brag to God. – I Corinthians 1:28-29

We bit the bullet and bought a different vehicle. Maybe Rick was tired of people commenting to him about “The Dead Battery” post. He doesn’t read my posts and was blindsided a couple times. We stopped at a dealership on the way back from my Dad’s celebration and bought a Chevy Traverse.

OMG! It is amazing what accessories you can buy on a car! The sales person’s first question usually was what color or accessories we wanted. This line of questioning forced us to identify what was most important.

We were blown away with the price tags. New vehicles are downright expensive. We could not imagine purchasing a car for the same amount of money left on our mortgage. It just is unpractical.

Instead, we opted for a gently used vehicle that has what we need. We wanted a vehicle that could carry us and the grandkids or several other people. The Traverse has a third-row seat. My priority was to have all-wheel-drive. After that, my only requirement was a darker interior. We could have two bucket seats in the middle or a bench. Rick preferred the bench so we can haul eight people. The vehicle on the lot fulfilling these requirements was pearl white. Sold.

Life is full of choices. Some are more important than others. We put a lot of effort into picking out our next vehicle. Once chosen, things went quickly. Meantime, the service department detailed the vehicle so it briefly had that “new car” smell.

How discerning are we about how we choose to live and practice our faith? Do we have a couple big requirements and make sure we invest into these things daily? When it comes to choosing or not choosing a regular faith community to live your faith, how important is this to you? What are your “must haves” with a faith community? Do we get caught up more with the accessories than the non-negotiables?

I’m still getting used to a different vehicle. I carefully pull into the garage and to make sure I’m ahead enough to close the garage door behind a little longer vehicle. I zipped right out with the Jeep, knowing I wouldn’t bang the rearview mirrors on the garage door tracks. I finally discovered how to set my favorite radio stations. Last Sunday, we had two grandkids for the afternoon. Of course, the kids wanted to try out the way-back seat with Grandpa to see if they could all fit. Sure enough, they did. Looks like we got what we needed.

Almighty God, when we get caught up in the minutia, help us to refocus on the most important. Make your Spirit draw upon what we have in common moreso than our differences. Guide us to make choices pleasing in your sight.  Amen.

Blessings –

Dianne