Contagious Confidence
You saved your pennies and you saved your dimes, and your Bitcoin, and whatever else. You scoured ancient internet forums, used Google Translate to read blogs originally posted in Japanese, and watched a season or two of Initial D. You did all this so you could import and own a JDM-only, right-hand-drive Nissan R33 Skyline GT-R.
You worked extensively with an automotive importer. You completed form 3520-1 with the EPA and form HS-7 with the NHTSA. You got a loan and insurance. You found your car. You bought it, imported it, and titled it, and now it’s here.
And it’s alone, if you think about it. If something goes wrong, will you take it to the service department at your local Nissan dealer and park it next to clapped-out Sentras and rusted Quests? You don’t know anyone who owns one. You could work on it yourself, of course. But the repair manuals and owner’s manual are in Japanese, as are the YouTube tutorials, and the spoken language of the people who sell parts for these things. How long does it take to learn Japanese?
All of this goes through your mind in the seconds before you floor the gas pedal for the first time and unleash those 276 (or maybe significantly more) horsepower from the legendary twin-turbocharged RB26 inline-six. Are you game?
In life, we sometimes find ourselves at these inflection points. We’re crossing from one stage (car research) into another (car ownership). We’re about to begin a new normal, and the transition can be destabilizing.
In Acts 20, Paul is between travels and is about to enter Jerusalem and perhaps face capture and even death. In his emotional farewell speech to his fellow Christ-followers, he includes some thoughts that have guided people for centuries.
He begins with service records: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. I served the Lord with great humility and with tears…” (v. 18)
He warns of the worst that could happen: “Men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.” (v. 30)
He gives final, vital advice: “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (v. 35)
He blesses them: “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace…” (v. 32)
And he puts himself confidently in the hands of God: “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.” (v. 22)
Paul, choked with sorrow for leaving his friends and fear for what might come next, nevertheless expresses courage and bravery in the God whom he has served this whole time and who will be with him wherever he goes. He has some fear, but he doesn’t have an ounce of doubt. He acknowledges some of the difficulty that he faced so far, but there’s not a hint of regret.
When God interrupted Saul’s life and gave him a new name (Paul) and purpose, Paul knew he had something worth suffering for. Will it be perfect? Of course not. But it’s worth it.
This confidence is meant to be contagious. At those inflection points in our life, we have to put our confidence in something. Money, insurance, our ability, Japanese craftsmanship, or even chance. We don’t know what we’ll face in the future, but we can see what people like Paul faced, and the faith in God’s grace and goodness that got them through. It won’t be perfect, but like Paul, we serve a perfect God who has promised us perfect love and a perfect future one day with him. Until then, he’s guiding us along every road and through any unexpected challenge along the way.
The lowliest R33 Skylines had 178-horsepower single-turbo sixes powering just the rear wheels. These are a lot cheaper to buy in Japan (or Canada), or from importers. They’re becoming more common, and you may start seeing them on the road. Maybe you aren’t alone after all. Maybe God is putting people in your life to encourage you to have some confidence. It’s meant to be contagious.
