The Preparation
You aren’t like most McLaren owners, with a pristine 675LT resting among a flashy fleet of Range Rovers, Bentleys, and Rolls Royces. You devoted fat chunks of income to your “McLaren fund” for years, and now it’s yours.
You aren’t like most sports car folks, who spend big money on loud exhaust but neglect basic maintenance. Your car always runs well.
You aren’t like most car drivers, whose cars slowly rot among the elements while their garages are filled with treadmills that used to work. Your car is always sheltered and protected.
And then the time comes when God tests your devotion to your car against your devotion to him. You aren’t like most people, who cling to physical objects. Right?
It was on a hilltop in modern-day Jerusalem that God asked Abraham to make a sacrifice that would reveal the strength of his faith. God bluntly asked him to “take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering…” (Genesis 22:2) The Bible says Abraham embarked on this journey “early the next morning” (v. 3), connoting a willingness to obey. But it was only when Abraham had the knife in his hand that God ended the test, which Abraham passed with flying colors:
“‘Do not lay a hand on the boy,’ he said. ‘Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.’” (Genesis 22:12)
These tests come to car folks all the time. Maybe your 1960 Bugeye Sprite was just appraised at $23,000 which is the exact cost of sending your family to a mission trip to Central America. Or you begin volunteering at a senior apartment to bring couples to car shows, and your C7 Z06 just doesn’t have enough seats and has to be sold.
Other times, your car is “sacrificed” without your permission. A tornado hits your town, and the brick garage that once protected your precious investment is now collapsed on top of it. Or you suffer a skiing accident, and you can’t drive any car if you’re paralyzed. Or dead.
God doesn’t always call all people to sacrifice everything they love, but he does ask them to be ready to. With the careful devotion in which you prepared to purchase your dream car, prepare now to sacrifice it if the time comes (all things on Earth belong to God anyway, so this is more of a mental exercise). Then, accidents become opportunities; remember the sinkhole at the Corvette museum? It became an exhibit. Your sacrifice may not be as painless, but with a heart that trusts God, it can be even more purposeful.
The McLaren 675LT generated an unholy 666 horsepower (and 576 lb-ft of torque) from its 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8, channeled through a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. It was unbelievably expensive; a decent metallic paint was a $20,000 factory option. One can only wonder what was sacrificed so a buyer could choose that option.
John V16 is the intersection of God and cars. Please support our work and donate a V16-powered 1940 Cadillac Series 90 Sixteen to John V16. Or share this article with a friend.
