Pastor Pondering #165 Behind the Wheel

Remember getting behind the wheel of your first car? I was a starry-eyed teenager with insufficient funds and unaffordable dreams. It amazed me how expensive cars were, at least the ones I liked! Ever the optimist, I embarked upon an adventure to save money in my motoring. I decided to go to a car auction in the auto-wrecker district of the city. Here I purchased my first sleek, black sedan; a 1990, four-door, Honda Accord.

When buying a car at auction, you pay the final bid offered, plus auction fee, for a vehicle that is “as is”. The understanding was that all cars were supposed to be in decent enough shape so that they could be repaired sufficiently to pass the safety check requirement. I took my new ride to my mechanic for a safety check and was told the rust was too extensive to repair and it would not pass safety. I bought a lemon.

I returned to the auction with my fruit basket explaining it wasn’t considered road worthy. I was kindly informed that the car shouldn’t have been on the auction block in such a state and they would credit me with the value I paid toward another purchase. So back to the auction I went and bought my second car. A 1989 Dodge Daytona.

This time I was educated on rust rot, so I carefully inspected the car body. It was clean and the engine bay looked immaculate. This car was a five-speed manual – extra level of cool in those days. I couldn’t get under the car, but every indication was that this ride would be the one! Paid my fees, got my keys and rode, proud as a peacock, to the mechanic for my safety check. At first glance, even he was impressed with how clean it looked on the exterior and under the hood. Alas, upon closer inspection, the frame was too much like swiss cheese to pass inspection.

Dejected and disillusioned, I returned to the auction house with another lemon fruit cake. This time I just asked for my money back. I was burned for the second time and had little hope that in my price range, the third time would be the charm. I was kindly informed by the receptionist that refunds are not offered, only credits toward another purchase. I explained all the additional costs I was incurring by purchasing and inspecting cars that should never have been auctioned to begin with. All these fees were chipping away at my already meager budget. “Sorry pal, them’s the rules”.

Just then, a fella approached from the back who was curious to hear my story. I ran through the entire saga again and this man seemed to take a genuine interest in my teenage sob-story. It turns out I had unintentionally caught the ear of the establishment owner. He listened and then faced the receptionist who was unmoved by my pleading and instructed her to refund my money. I can still see the look of irritation on her face as she reluctantly began the refund process! It was against policy, but I had an advocate with authority to plead my cause, a master behind the wheel.

Friends, you and I stand dejected and disillusioned before a Holy and exacting God. He remains unwilling to accept anything short of perfection. This is the policy. Jesus appears from the back and hears our desperate cry. He cannot make our sin and failings disappear, but He can and does take the punishment we deserve and settles our account Himself.

1 Peter 2:24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.

I eventually secured a dealer-bought, pre-saftied, 1990 Nissan pickup truck. The only features that little trucklet had were ones I installed after purchase, unless you count the triple wide, multi-shades of brown pinstriping, a feature. We have an advocate with the Father and it’s Jesus Christ the righteous. His loving and merciful actions allow the believer to approach the throne of grace with boldness. Our only hope for eternity is Jesus behind the wheel.