Car Wash
by Nate Benard, CMDA Atlanta Area Director
People love their cars, and they love their cars showroom clean - so much so that Americans spend approximately $5.8 Billion each year at over 100,000 car wash facilities! About 8 million cars per day go through a car wash in America!
It looks like the days of washing the car in the driveway on a Saturday with a bucket of soap and water will soon be just a memory. In the last 15 years, a 69% increase in car owners using car wash facilities rather than washing their car themselves have occurred. We have just become too busy/lazy to wash our cars ourselves it appears. We do not think much about pulling into a car wash today, selecting the cleaning package we prefer, inserting a credit card, and having our car washed and dried within only a few minutes.
This has not always been the case. The first automatic conveyor car wash opened in Hollywood, California, in 1940; this car wash used a primitive winch system to pull vehicles along the tunnel, but attendants still had to scrub down and dry vehicles by hand. The car wash evolution progressed rapidly in the fifties and sixties, providing the first hands-free car wash.
I recall my first time through a car wash as a kid in the 1970’s and being a bit afraid as the large vertical rollers pounded the sides of the car while a large horizontal roller appeared as if it was going to crush the hood of the car and come crashing through the front windshield! I was sure the car was going to be damaged. After seeing the car come out clean on the other side with no apparent damage, I was less concerned the next time I entered a car wash.
We find ourselves entering into trials in our lives, where we are fearful. We have to remember what Joshua recorded in 1:9:
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Each time we enter a terrible situation, we become less concerned because we see the faithfulness of the Lord guides us and protects us.
There are many situations in our lives that we find ourselves entering into, often not of our own doing, that appear frightening and sure to inflict some sort of damage, whether physical, financial, social, psychological, emotional, etc. As we enter, we brace for the impact and cannot wait for it to be over. We try to take control. We try to direct the situation. We may try to stop in the middle or accelerate the process to get it over.
When you enter a car wash, you must do three things.
· Take your hands off of the steering wheel.
· Place your car in neutral.
· Do not press the brake.
Similarly, when we enter a tough situation and are trusting the King of the Universe to see us through it, we must relinquish control. All too often, we try to steer the outcome, accelerate the process, or stop something that is out of our control. We need to be able to let Jesus take the wheel as the song says, and let Him manage the pace. When trusting in the Lord, we know He is in control and He has prepared us.
This is what Jeremiah is eluding to in 17:7-8.
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
In Psalm 112:7, David writes, “They [the righteous] will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord."
How about you? What is the worst news you could hear? That you have cancer? That your spouse has cancer? That your child or grandchild died suddenly? That your spouse is having an affair? That you have lost all your money on bad investments?
How would you handle it? Would you be able to trust Christ to do whatever it is He is going to do? Would you trust in Him that you will come out better on the other side?
The Ultimate Car Wash
The reason we can trust in Christ to see us through the tough times is because of what He has already done for us. We, everyone who believes in God as their savior - past, present, and future, have been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb.
Isaiah prophesied,
“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”
Some 700 years later, Christ did this for us with His crucifixion and resurrection, as He paid the price for all of our sins forever!
If He loves us enough to suffer the sins of all believers for all time, is it not reasonable to believe that He loves you enough to see you through your present darkness?
Photo by Zulfahmi Khani on Unsplash
