Thanksgiving Journal: The Gift of Faithfulness

 Dan's car is a 2007 Toyota Corolla.  Yep...the car is 14 years old.  We've had it for 13 years and it is a few short weeks from turning 300,000 miles.  Dan has driven that car through 13 years of daily loooong commutes, hence the almost 300,000 miles.  We love that car.  It still gives him a bit over 30 miles a gallon and it has a lot of zip.  I has never failed him.  You can count on it starting right on every time.  It's an impressive work-horse, indeed.

Until a couple of days ago, that is.  

On Friday, Dan came home in the evening and said:  my car stalled!

I was like, what???

He's like, yeah.

I'm like, where?

He's like, right here, leaving the neighborhood.  It was this morning.  I think I needed to warm it up longer.  I started it again, and it was fine.

I'm like, whoa...that just doesn't sound right...it doesn't sound right AT. ALL. That car has never needed to be "warmed up" even in sub-zero temps, it has always started like a match.

So, Dan fiddled with it through the weekend, but on Monday morning, it did not want to start.  We were dumbfounded: I guess it's time to take it to the mechanic to see if there's any hope.  That was my cue to start looking at CarGurus for a reliable used car (HA!).

This ordeal with our Toyota Corolla made me think about the concept of faithfulness.  This car has been "faithful" to us for a long time.  But, can a car truly be faithful?  

I don't think we can actually attach the idea of faithfulness to things.  According to the dictionary, faithfulness is "unfailingly remaining loyal to someone or something, and putting that loyalty into consistent practice regardless of extenuating circumstances." The concept requires consciousness.  It is something that is done intentionally.  It requires a heart and a mind.

The Bible tells us that God is Faithful,

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. Deuteronomy 7:9

and that even...

If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. 2 Timothy 2: 13

And today, I am grateful for such an attribute. His faithfulness gives me peace and comfort.  I find hope in it and it makes me feel protected, safe and secured, because, unlike our car, God remains faithful forever.  He doesn't need new spark plugs. He doesn't stall. He doesn't have an expiration date or a limit as to how many miles it can go for.  His faithfulness is steadfast. And, no matter how impressive a record anything or anyone may have, when it comes to reliability, nothing or no-one comes close to Our Lord.

The mechanic was able to breathe new life into our Corolla.  Grant drove it home today and it was as good as always.  The mechanic even told Dan that he could get another 100,000 miles from it.  But even so, the car will not go forever.  Eventually, it will quit.  God never will.  And for that truth, I am most grateful.  In the Precious Name of Jesus, the Only Faithful One.  Amen!