Sure did give it away. Drove it out my garage and handed over the keys. Wonderful act of good will but it did not hold a candle to the other car I gave away.

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It felt really good the day that I gave my Mercedes away. It was a beautiful car too. Midnight blue, sparkly and rode with the grace of a gazelle. But it had been sitting in my garage for a while collecting dust so we gave it away. It’s kind of like those clothes that you give away to the Good Will. It’s a nice gesture and it makes someone else very happy, but it does not cost you much so it’s not an extremely exciting moment.

Now please don’t make the leap that you’re reading about the life of someone rich and famous. Far from that, but there are times in life when God will bless you more than other times and this was one of those seasons. In my life God has taught me to abound and be abased – that is a good thing. Getting back to the story – now the other time I gave my car away, it was an extremely exhilarating moment, because it was a season of being abased. This car was not waxed, washed and polished sitting in my garage taking up space, this was the car I drove to work everyday. This was my main car. To give this one away cost me everything.

By now you are probably wondering what possesses me to give cars away like that and I would do it again in a heart beat. It’s God. I love to give and I really understand what it means to give and expect nothing in return. That’s why I hate prosperity preachers, they teach people to give and then expect God to do something for them. But God wants us to have joy in giving simply because it’s the right thing to do whether he returns something to us or not. It is always the right time to be a blessing.

It’s a real step of faith when you give the car you are driving away and you don’t have excess money and you can’t afford a car note. To do this you have to be driven by the spirit of God, and that’s what happened. My husband and I were so touched by a need that we found out about that we knew to give the car away was the right thing to do.

It all started in a church service. Every week we would see this one family come to church extremely late. Service started at 10:00 and they would faithfully show up around 11:30. I was so puzzled as to why they kept showing up unfashionably late that I asked my pastor. He explained that this family did not have a car and that they have to take two busses to get to church on Sunday (which was about 1 ½ hour trip one way) and then walk about a mile from the last bus stop to get to church. The man lost his job so they could not afford a car. Then he went even further and said that the wife had diabetes and she has a hard time walking especially in the heat, so they walk very slow and that is why they are late every service. Tell you what, it broke my heart to hear this story. Stirred every ounce of compassion I had within me.

So my husband and I prayed and we felt that we should give them our car – the one we had just had completely serviced. Now how was I going to get to work? At that point I did not care. I said God, if you provide a way for me to get another car, I will give them my car. I knew of a local car auction on Wednesdays so during my lunch break I went to the auction to look for a car. My children who were also in on this God adventure were  excited about what we were about to do so they prayed with us. They had faith that not only would God give us a car, but it would be just what they wanted. So here was their list – velvet seats, because vinyl or leather got too hot, the air condition must work, and it needs to be a sports car. Goodness gracious! So I went looking for their car – and found it.!

Sure did, I found that car. It was a two year old, 14,000 miles Eagle Talon, sleek, sporty, teal blue with grey crushed velvet interior and the air condition was as cold as an artic blast. I prayed again, God you know I have to get back to work, let them auction this thing quick. Get me this car Lord. I walked out of that auction with my kid’s car for pennies compared to its value.

I drove my new car back to work and left my old car in the parking lot. That evening when my husband got home we pick up my old car and took it to my pastors’ house and handed him the keys. We told him to give the car to the family anonymously. He did and it took a few months before they figured out who gave them the car. My pastor said when he gave them the keys they were overwhelmed and in tears. As a result of God touching our hearts their life was restored. The family now had a car without a car note. The father was immediately able to find a job because he had transportation. They had cried but we had cried too for the pure joy of giving, not expecting anything in return. That event has been one of the most exhilarating times in my life. There is nothing that beats giving sacrificially. King David once said I won’t give the Lord anything that does not cost me, I fully understand that scripture now.

God moved our family into another ministry, but we still go back and visit our old church. Whenever we see this family they still treat us like royalty. God eventually blessed them with a brand car, but they still keep the other as a testimony of God’s goodness.