Seen But Not Sought
Hot hatches were everywhere in the 1980s and 90s. From the Golf GTi’s archetype came the legendary Acura Integra GS-R, which soon defined the segment. A variety of automakers jumped in, some more surprising than others.
This explains the existence of the BMW 318ti.
From the entry-level 318is (which was already $6,000 more expensive than the $19,000 Integra GS-R) came the 318ti, 318ti Sport, and eventually, the ultra rare 318ti Club Sport. All variants got the 138-horsepower four-cylinder, and all would have lost most stoplight races in 1994. But grip in the Club Sport was up to 0.85 g (vs. the GS-R’s 0.82) due to a lower and stiffer suspension and an aggressive wheel and tire package. Its mean front spoiler and aerodynamic side mirrors were probably just as important as the performance bits though, as BMW’s goal was to yank the baggy jeans crowd out of Honda dealers and into BMW showrooms.
No one was asking for a BMW hot hatch in the 1990s. But BMW went after the street performance market anyway, and nearly 30 years later, you’ll find a much more enthusiastic following for the BMW M2 than, say, the Acura ILX Type-S. Perhaps the 318ti Club Sport deserves some credit.
Yet the strenuous reach of the 318ti Club Sport can’t compare to the efforts God takes to reach people who aren’t looking for him:
“I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’ All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations.” (Isaiah 65:1-2)
In this prophecy, God doesn’t wait for people to come looking for him. He isn’t secluded on the top of a remote mountain, or sitting in a marble-appointed showroom in the expensive part of town. He pursues people. He shows how badly they need him before they know they need him. He reveals an incredibly rich love, fulfillment of purpose, and peace of mind to people lost in anxiety and despair.
He doesn’t quit. “All day long,” he says, holding out his hands in the most universally recognized posture of love and acceptance: a hug.
Plenty of people don’t seek God. Even people who do seek God don’t seek him all the time. It’s easy to get distracted, tired, angry, arrogant, or apathetic. Yet any time any person expresses these feelings as a way of ignoring God, God responds by calling out to them: “Here am I.”
God still reveals himself to people who don’t look for him. This gives hope that God’s relentless love isn’t about to give up, and that no one is too far gone to be forgotten or ignored by God.
The BMW 318ti Club Sport package added a stunning $3,050 premium onto the already expensive 318ti Sport model. In the 90s, $3,000 was a fortune – it would have bought 1/3 of a Suzuki Swift GT, a hot hatch in its own little way. Clearly, BMW wasn’t just chasing the hot hatch crowd – it was chasing their dollars. Unlike a car company, God pursues people and only gives, gives some more, and then keeps on giving.
