I’ll never forget my first car. I don’t think anyone ever forgets their first car. For most of you reading this, the first time you got behind the wheel you weren’t driving the most impressive looking piece of machinery. I’d imagine it probably had a few dings and scratches, one or two working windows, no heat or air conditioning—and if it had a working radio you were living the high life!
When I was growing up, my dad drove this dark red, really sharp looking Jeep Cherokee. I have a lot of great memories in that Jeep that I’ll never forget. When my older brother and sister started learning how to drive, there was NO WAY my parent’s were letting them use my father’s Jeep on a daily basis. So they did what most parents do–they bought an old, beat up “first car” for my siblings to drive. It got from point A to point B just fine, but that’s about it. Needless to say, I wasn’t looking forward to driving their bucket of bolts when it came time to for me to get my license.
Fast forward a few years with me–
Now I don’t remember what exactly happened to that car, but it didn’t matter. Because when it came time for me to finally get my driver’s license, I inherited my dad’s old Jeep Cherokee! Luckily enough for me, it had just the right amount of problems and miles on it to transition into the “kid’s first car” category.
Boy, I loved that Jeep! Don’t get me wrong, it had its fair share of problems, but that didn’t matter much to me. Growing up I always wanted to be more like my dad, so riding around in his old Jeep felt special to me because it made me feel more like him. That’s the car I drove to work everyday in high school. It’s the car I picked up Katherine in for our first date. It’s the car I got my first speeding ticket in, it’s also the first car that left me stranded on the side of the road–and I loved every second of it!
Often times, kids at that age are prone to overlook how big of a blessing it is to have their first car given to them. Some of you reading this probably weren’t even given a car by your parents. Some of you may have had a much nicer car than me, I’m not really sure. All I know is that I had a high level of appreciation for that trusty little Jeep Cherokee.
Yet, the more life experience I gain, the more appreciative I become. Once you’re out on your own and married– paying for you own vehicles, dishing out money for car insurance, and eating the cost for vehicle repairs, you begin to appreciate that “first car” much more! I’m sure that one day in the future when Katherine and I have children who are in need of their first car, I’m going to look back on that Jeep Cherokee with even more appreciation than I do now! I’ll understand more of how my parent’s felt in the moment, surrendering their control and letting their car into the hands of a 16-year old kid. Yikes!
You know the funny thing is, I think life with Jesus is kind of like my dad’s old Jeep Cherokee. Not in all aspects, but some (mostly because my relationship with Christ is infinitely more dependable than a broken piece of machinery).
When I first decided to truly follow Christ, the power of the Gospel was so fresh on my heart and mind. How could the God of the universe love such a broken person like me?
I was selfish.
I was prideful.
I was broken.
And I only cared about what was best for Kaydan.
It was all about me.
Yet the Bible says that while I was in that broken, sinful, selfish state, Jesus came to set me free. He didn’t come to die and take the place of an awesome Kaydan that had all of these things to offer Him in return—He came to take the place and the punishment of a Kaydan that had done all the wrong things. Someone who only cared about taking care of #1.
To say that I was thankful to God for saving my soul would be a vast understatement. I grew up in church. I knew all of the religious things I needed to do outwardly to look good–and I did those things! But they left me empty inside. The beautiful thing about the Gospel is that it changes you from the inside out. Sometimes I think we get that part backwards, so we try to doctor up our outer lives rather than focusing on the state of our hearts.
Much like when I received that Jeep Cherokee from my parents, my acceptance and gratefulness of the Gospel was ever present in my heart and my mind in those early days. Fast forward a few years and, similarly to my first vehicle, I have come to find an increased love and appreciation for my salvation in Jesus!
The more miles I put on my life, I cannot help but to come to an increased knowledge and appreciation of all that God has truly done for me. And while I don’t think I’ll ever truly grasp the whole weight and gravity of the Son of God hanging on the cross in my place—I am continually in awe of everything that He is doing to lead and guide me and Katherine through this lifelong journey of following Him.
Maybe you missed out on having your first car given to you. If that’s you, this analogy probably hasn’t been the best comparison. Needless to say, the life changing love of God is just as available to you as it is to me. And I hope this blog post has been a testimony of how it only gets sweeter over time! If you’ve been hurt by the church or religion, or you just don’t understand what it means when I say that “Jesus came and died in my place”, please don’t hesitate to shoot us an email or leave a comment below and we’d be more than happy to reach out and talk with you.
If you’re a follower of Jesus and you’ve forgotten the beauty and life that you have because of Him, I’d urge you to take a moment and reflect on all that God has done in your life, and how we continually have the opportunity to ponder the heights and depths of His love and grace.
As always, thank you guys for reading the blogs and praying for us. We have a few more blogs coming soon about what we have been up to since we left Africa.
– Kaydan
(Also, for kicks and giggles we’d love for you to share what your first car was in the comments below. Most of our readers have a few years on us, so we’d appreciate seeing all those old school vehicles mentioned below 😉
