A NEW CAR

For the past 2 1/2 weeks my husband and I have been searching feverishly for a brand new car. Because it will be the first time we will have purchased a never used before car, we have exhausted ourselves in an attempt to make sure we get the right car for us. We have driven so many makes and models that we have basically eliminated any chance of actually following through with buying one. We arrogantly perhaps, have test driven cars that were out of our price range. What's the big deal? Well, discontentment. When we realized we were fooling ourselves and our budget, we were forced to come back to reality and only test drive cars that we could actually afford and still have flexibility within our budget. But, it was not so easy going back. Although the cars we began to test drive were more than adequate, we found that our ideal car had modified to such a degree that we have not been able to be happy with anything.

Granted we own two cars presently. The newer one is a sports car. Our initial plan was to keep the old one and trade in the new one. We could, but we aren't going to now. We have discovered that the joy we gain from driving it exceeds our desire to have its loan paid off and have it replaced with a new one. Now, we are considering trading in the older car, using its trade in value along with some additional money to purchase another newer used car.

Through all of this "Autumn Hunt" I have come to see a spiritual principle in the ordeal.

Discovery is a strange little bugger when combined with limitations.

My husband and I ventured into a world that was more than we could handle in our little escapades, we didn't keep our eyes on the real need we were trying to fill. We knew we needed an AWD that would be able to compete in size in the winter months with the other vehicles that were going to be racing along side me on my way to and from Graduate School. But, before we knew it our list grew to include things like: leather, backup camera, navigation, 7- passenger seating, DVD, 1st and 2nd row heated seats, etc.

Spiritual principles: Materialism, greed, discontentment, pride, and the list goes on.

It isn't that these things in general are bad, the issue is that our finances and need do not truly call for such a burden of expense. We lost our focus and it killed our dream of owning a brand new car. It is okay though. I have recovered. And I have realized that to drop back and punt is a good thing. We can put off the immediate gratification of purchasing this grand purchase. By denying ourselves this gift, we will be able to have something to look forward to when the timing is right. Ideally, when I graduate from college. It could be very detrimental to our finances if we just compulsively jumped into granting ourselves the best we could finance. This decision could have the potential of wrecking us, destroy our credit and cause us to lose the new car and prohibit us from purchasing even a newer used car.

The Bible warns us about the lust of the eyes, because we can put wreck our lives. Discontentment or lust can blind side us and cause us to lose the more valuable possessions we have, like people and reputation.

So, the next time you go comparison shopping remember our little shopping trip and lesson. Sometimes, it is better to stay within the boundaries we have consciously set up for a healthier and happier life.