Buying a car | September 7, 2016
This past Monday I helped my mom make her first car purchase since 1955. Since then, my dad had always bought the family cars, but since his death in 2009, mom has had to do a lot of things for the "first" time.
She was so nervous and anxious, especially when she signed her name to the largest check she had ever signed. But then, almost immediately, there was a wave of satisfaction, accompanied by a great big smile and a few tears of relief. She took some pictures of her old car -- my dad's last major purchase -- and then drove her new, white, 2016 Honda CR-V off the lot. Well done, mom. You did it.
We've entered into a season of new beginnings and fresh starts. A few weeks ago, Matt started college and Anna started high school. Fall programming at St. John's begins with a new youth minister, and last week a slew of new, wide-eyed kindergarteners walked on campus for the first time. It's all good ... but "firsts" can produce a lot of anxiety and, well, a few tears, too.
When mom took pictures of her old car, it helped me to see the importance of saying goodbye to a part of our past while anticipating the beauty of what is to come. I felt the same way when I watched Matt hug his mom one final time in the parking lot of NC State the other week. There was power in that ritual of saying goodbye .. and great beauty in watching Matt take those first steps on his own.
If this is a season of "firsts" for you, may God use your past as a springboard to the joy and beauty of a brand new day.
"I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11).
Peace+
Pastor Rhodes
