within the course of the last week, I sold my car and bought a new one.
no wait, there’s so much more to this story than just that! God has been taking me on this incredible, tangible journey of His intimate involvement in my life. and at the end of this post, I will share what my new car’s name is. :)
the God who created the vast universes delights in the littlest details of our lives.
this Truth has been drenching me like a much needed downpour.
it all started when I went to visit some of my closest friends in Virginia. one of my friends just bought her first house this past spring and she was having a hard time deciding what color to paint her bedroom. being single, like me, she felt the all-too-familiar discouragement that comes when you need to make a decision and you don’t have someone to share the decision with – or to just make the decision for you. :) instead of going down the road of self-pity, though, she reminded herself that God cares about every detail of her life. and so she asked Him what color to paint her room. she then heard the song by 10th Avenue North called “Beloved” and it’s this song written as though it’s from Jesus to the Church, His Bride. in it, this line stuck out to her “I’ll clothe you in white, My immaculate Bride you will be". she is the Bride of Christ. we, believers and followers of Jesus Christ, are His Bride. and His blood, spilled out for us on the cross, cleanses us, making us spotless and able to come before the Most Holy and Mighty God.
so she painted her room pure white, top to bottom, all 4 walls.
and it. is. beautiful.
God delights in every detail of our lives.
fast forward 2 weeks (which ends up being 2 weeks ago today…as if that’s not confusing…).
I came home from living out of a suitcase for 7 weeks. AKA I came back to reality and had to finally face the decisions I’d been putting off while I was away, one of which was deciding what to do with my car (Zeva Louise!) that got hail damage during a storm in June that dropped golf balls out of the sky. while I was away, I couldn’t decide what to do with her – whether to get her fixed with the insurance money or sell her beautiful dented up self. so the first morning I was back, I literally begged God to help me make a wise decision about this car situation. as I went thru the day, I had a couple friends encourage me to try selling Zeva – which is what I had been feeling like I should do. so I took that as God’s answer. this was on a Tuesday.
back up like 2-3 years. I went to YWAM in Denver and met this awesome couple who were (and still are) on staff at YWAM – Will & Erika. Will loved my car when he found out that’s what I had. and I told him if I ever sold her, I’d let him know first. so even though this was 2-3 years ago, I was reminded of it and decided I should honor that commitment. so on Wednesday, I sent him an email explaining the situation and asking if he was interested at all in buying her.
oh. my. goodness. I wish you could have experienced the excitement bursting out of Will when he got my email! this had been his dream car. no wait, it gets better. the day before, (Tuesday – the day I decided to sell my car) Will & Erika had a long car ordeal come to a close and Tuesday night Will had been online researching vehicles! whaaaat?? he was ecstatic.
God delights in every detail of our lives.
long story short, I sold Zeva to my friends! not only has she gone to a fabulous home, but it was a sweeeeet time to reconnect with these beautiful people and meet their little guy!
so I found myself car-less. in a town where it’s probably easier to find a horse to buy than a car that you want. in an area where if you look on Craigslist, you will find more tractors and livestock for sale than vehicles.
meanwhile, I had a friend text me, reminding me that “God delights in every detail of our lives.”
so I moved forward, clinging to that Truth that God DOES delight in even the little details of my life. and I started praying for these things in a vehicle:
- an SUV
- good on gas (AKA…most likely a 4-cylinder)
- sunroof
- running boards
- preferably yellow :)
and so began the search. the crazy thing is, my friend, Will, insisted that I tell him what vehicles I had narrowed down my search to because he wanted to help me find a new one! I was blown away that somebody would care that much to help me in my search!
within a day of emailing Will what I was looking for, he had found this ‘06 Honda CR-V for sale in Denver. it was a little out of my price range, but it said “or best offer”…so I emailed the guy with an offer – and he accepted it!!!
no wait, it gets better.
remember, God delights in every detail of our lives.
so I had that list of what I was asking God for in this next vehicle, right? the CR-V is indeed an SUV and it has a 4-cylinder engine and decent gas mileage. and this CR-V has a sunroof AND running boards! it’s not yellow, but it’s white and it’s beautiful! the added bonus that God snuck in? it has heated seats!!!!!! Florida girl is STOKED!!!!!!!!
the story isn’t over.
ok so I have found this CR-V that I really want and have peace about buying. this is a Thursday, and the guy said I could come Saturday or Sunday to see it (down in Denver, a 3-hour drive). I talked to my friend (who also happens to work at the bank) and she wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get a loan and a cashier’s check all done on Friday. so as I drove to the bank Friday morning, I asked God to somehow allow everything to go thru if this was a good vehicle for me to buy, and if not, I would hold it loosely and trust Him.
God delights in every detail of our lives.
by 2pm Friday afternoon, I was leaving the bank with my loan secured and cashier’s check in hand. :) and my friend Megan said she would drive me down to Denver on Sunday to pick it up (I have amazing friends)!
so Sunday, I bought it and drove it home!
now we come to the naming of this new addition.
as many of you know, my last vehicle took on quite the persona. :) Zeva Louise the Toaster was one of a kind. literally. she was the only one in the town I currently live in.
but as I prepared to buy this new vehicle, I tried to talk myself out of naming it. I’m too old for that, right? I can’t keep naming inanimate objects.
however, as I drove the CR-V home, I was recalling all the ways I had seen how God delights in every detail of my life lately and I wondered what names meant “He delights”, like a name that would remind me of how much God delights in me as His Child.
as soon as that question came to mind, the name “Abbi” popped in my head.
and I thought, “Abbi? ok first of all, I’m not naming this vehicle, and second of all, who names a car Abbi?”
but then curiosity got to me. and I googled what “Abigail” meant.
and just about peed my pants. (OK not literally)
the name “Abigail” is a Biblical name with Hebrew origin and means “father’s joy” or… wait for it…
“my father’s delight”
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
how could I not name her Abbi??
so, without further adieu, let me introduce you to Abbi, a vehicle that is a reminder to me that the God who created the vast universes, delights in me. and He delights in YOU!
God delights in every detail of our lives.
and He doesn’t always orchestrate things just the way we want. but He is good in everything that He does. and He has blessed me with this new vehicle!
