People always take
notice of my Mazda Miata. What they don’t know is the story behind how I came
to own this white sports car.
You
see, I’d always viewed a convertible as a wealthy man’s indulgence. However, within
three months my point of view would change forever.
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| My baby! I just sold her today. We had a good run while it lasted. |
Shortly after
moving to Florida, my PT Cruiser’s warranty expired. I knew I didn’t want to shell
out the full cost of unexpected repairs, so I prayed for divine help in finding
another car.
A vehicle with good
gas mileage was important to me. After researching cars on the internet, I set
my sights on a Volkswagen Jetta, and then test drove one. I also wanted to check
out a Hyundai because of its gas mileage. However, I knew from the Jetta excursion that the best way to avoid vulture-like salesmen was to window shop
after the dealerships closed.
Upon pulling into
a Hyundai dealership late one evening, a flirty red Miata caught my eye. Bewildered
as to why a Mazda was on a Hyundai car lot, I soon realized they sold both
brands. I compared the sticker prices and features on several different makes
and models, but sensed a Miata was the car for me.
The next night I
had a few hours to test drive cars before a meeting. A salesman listened to my
specifications and took me to test drive a Hyundai as well as a Miata. Then he
led me to a Mazda RX-8. As I drove that sports car, he highlighted its features
with more gusto than those of the Hyundai or the Miata. The two main things he emphasized
were its rotary engine and power. I listened to his sales pitch, then left for
my meeting.
After arriving
at work the following morning, I told my coworker about the test drives. Her
husband wanted to sell his RX-8, so arrangements were made to check out his car
later that evening. As her spouse navigated me through the streets of our town,
he gave his opinion on the pros and cons of the RX-8. The two features he touted
were the same ones the salesman highlighted—the rotary engine and power.
Now totally
confused, I decided to call my brother-in-law who is an engineer and knows all
about rotary engines. The Miata’s gas mileage perked my interest even though he
kept emphasizing the power of the RX-8. Upon hearing a third guy underscore this
power attribute, I knew the RX-8 was
a man’s car.
However, I was
still uncertain as to which car to buy. Both test drives in a RX-8 left me with
reservations about buying the Miata. The conversation with my brother-in-law
didn’t bolster my confidence either. My confusion boiled down to doubt. Was I
discerning correctly what was placed on my heart about buying a Miata? Or was I
supposed to pay attention to the opinions of three men?
That night I got
on my knees and asked for a sign about which vehicle to buy. I climbed into bed,
and then picked up a magazine from my nightstand. As I thumbed through the
pages, an excerpt for a mystery novel caught my eye. Within ten minutes I read about
a woman who had just been followed by another car while driving her Mazda
Miata.
Wow! Awestruck!
Speechless!
Those three
words described my reaction to how quickly that prayer was answered. I turned
off the light to go to sleep, giddy about the car I would eventually buy.
I arrived at the
dealership the next morning and informed the salesman the Miata was the one for
me. He questioned my choice. I told him how three different men used the word power as a reason to buy the RX-8.
“As a woman I don’t
care about power,” I said. “I just want the cute little Miata.”
I left the dealership
that sunny day seated behind the wheel of my brand new Mazda Miata convertible.
Jaws drop whenever I relay how fast I was given a sign. Those same people think the tale
is over until I say, “But that’s not the end of the story.”
Three months
later in April 2007, I made a trip to visit my aunt on the west coast of
Florida. An hour into the drive I stopped and opened my convertible top. Once
back on the road, I loaded a CD in the CD player. Immediately, I
remembered an event from five years earlier in the summer of 2002.
That summer, my
two teenagers and I took a driving trip to visit my cousin in Eugene, Oregon. After
our stay was over, we drove south along the Oregon coast. Craggy rock
formations jutting out of the Pacific Ocean took my breath away. The majestic giants of the Redwood National Forest had a gentle, calming effect. After seeing these and other sites, we
headed toward the California wine country.
Passing through Napa
Valley, I said to my sleepy teenagers, “Wake up! You’re missing the most
beautiful country in the world. Look at all these vineyards and rolling hills.”
However, my
attempts failed at keeping them awake, so I enjoyed the breathtaking drive by myself as I listened to a CD.
Spellbound by
the panoramic view, I said out loud, “God, it sure would be nice to listen to
this music while driving a convertible.”
That statement
was quickly forgotten. I never thought about that short, one-way conversation again.
That is, not until five years later while driving my Miata on the opposite side
of the United States and listening to that same CD.
Psalm 37:4 says,
“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will
give you the desires of your heart.”
God does keep
His promises found in the Bible. He gave me a desire of my heart—a convertible—all
because I was blown away by the music and landscape He created.
During that
drive across Florida all those years later, I learned why it’s imperative to heed divine nudges.
If I had bought the RX-8, I wouldn't have had a convertible as a way for the Lord to grant a desire of my heart. And I would have
missed fresh insight about judging someone else’s motives.
I
finally understood that a person’s actions can be divinely inspired... just
like mine.
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