Green Car, Red Roof and Black Leather Seats

Eyes barley squinted I could see the sunlight peeking through my bedroom window. I was nestled comfortably in my warm down blanket and enjoyed the roaring sound of a window air conditioner. Dreading to leave my humble nest I greeted the Lord with a good morning smile and a thank you for this day. As I lay there my mind begin to put into motion all of the things that I needed to accomplish for the day. Wash this, clean that, pick up this mail that…deciding that those tasks wouldn’t miraculously take care of them selves I pulled the warm covers back, put on my fuzzy house shoes and tattered but favorite robe and headed to begin my morning ritual.

          At this time in my life I was a stay at home mom with two amazing little boys and one on the way. I was truly blessed to have the opportunity to have the full time job of raising my family. I always began my days with a cup of coffee (flavored with vanilla creamer of course) sitting in a hand me down tan wing back chair and reading my daily devotion. I don’t quite remember what my devotion was that day but I do remember clearly what I was in need of or our family was in need of. We were in need of a new vehicle (by new I mean new to us) while being a stay at home mom was priceless its cost required many sacrifices and a strict budget. Now, as silly as it seems, I loved to prepare our budget, schedule the bills, make detailed grocery list and account for every one of our little pennies. Every week I was able to be thankful for God’s ability to stretch our pennies and dollars into paid electric bills and a pantry full of groceries.  This particular morning, after my devotion and prayer time, I decided to break out the little budget book to see exactly where we stood in terms of really being able to afford a vehicle. Speaking of a vehicle let me tell you a little about what we were currently driving or should I say what was driving us crazy and deeper in debt. We drove a 1988 Jeep Cherokee which was currently 9 years old. This Jeep was really older that it appeared kind of like how dog years are 7 to our 1. This jeep lived a hard tough life on a strip job before we welcomed it to our family and it specialties where endless. The brakes always squeaked, the steering wheel wobbled like an off balance washing machine once it hit 50mph and of course my oldest sons favorite, who was 7 at the time, was that you could actually pull the key out of the ignition while the jeep was still running. I must say it did have it advantages as I could leave the jeep running while I took out the keys to unlock the house door but the problem seemed to be when I left the keys on the kitchen table while I drove to town. Mind you while this jeep had it flaws it was always faithful, but faithful wasn’t going to last much longer. So I began to pray that God would provide us with a more reliable vehicle.  Now back to what happened when I opened my little black budget book. I added I subtracted I erased I juggled and there it was in plain sight. So I added again subtracted again, erased again and there it was again…$250.00. I stared at the figure I ran my pencil over and over it again and then I circled it. My heart began to race with excitement as I latterly skipped through the narrow hallway of our single wide trailer. “Honey, Honey wake up, we are going to be a car today.” Sleepy eyes greeted me and widened quickly as he must have saw the wild look in my eyes. “What are you talking about..” I quickly cut my husband off and began to rattle on wildly as I was deciding which of the three maternity dresses that I would wear. Oh did I mention I was eight months pregnant and counting. “Get up, I said, hurry we are getting a new car today!” Either my excitement spurred excitement in Chris or he realized that he his plea to sleep in on his day off had long been overridden. Once I realized I had his attention I woke up Tyler age seven and Trent age 3 and a half. “Boys get up we are going car shopping today!” It didn’t take them as long as it did their daddy to start moving and before you could count to ten we were buckled and on our way. Hmm on the way… I remember on the way and will never forget on the way as long as I live. I had in hand my list of exactly what we were looking for and exactly what we could spend. Mind you God had worked out a plan for us and I was gonna make sure we stuck to it. My husband at this time had not accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior but he respected my personal relationship with HIM and time after time God’s faithfulness was revealed to Chris through my faithfulness to HIM. On the way, oh yeah my famous words,  my words that I will never for get was these, “ I don’t care what kind of car that we get but I am not driving a green car.”  Key words I AM. Note to self: never tell God what you aren’t gonna do.

At the end of the road with a decision to turn left or right to make the journey to find our new car my husband looked to me and said, “Which way?” I looked left I looked right then left again and left it was. Sixty miles and an hour and a half later we pulled in to a car dealership and this is exactly what I said. “Find us a car honey, but our payment including the insurance could not be one penny over $250.00.” I know what you are thinking what kind of car can you buy including insurance with 150.00, well I am about to tell you.  So out of the faithful Jeep he ventured to find his little family a car. We, me and the boys, watched as he and a stocky little bearded man led him to several vehicles. They then disappeared into the blue and white blocked building 5 minutes, 10 minutes 25 minutes later Chris appeared with a set of keys in his hand and said ok lets test drive a car and yes honey after crunching the numbers we  can purchase this car for 148.00 per month. A smile widened across my face and the boys and I followed Chris to see what we might be taking home. There it appeared right before my eyes, just like the $150.00 appeared in my little black budget book a GREEN 1993 Cougar. Yep, I said GREEN. So there it is the very thing that I said I would not buy was the only thing I could buy. Funny how God works to teach us things about Him and things about ourselves. The blessing wasn’t in the color of the car the blessing was the ability to for us to afford a new car. I quickly fell in love with my new to me car, it really did have specialties like a sunroof, leather seats, powered widows. God’s little extra blessing wrapped in green paint. 

God’s blessing whether we think they are big or little they are from the Great IAM the creator of the universe the One who gave HIS SON for us. Wow! I always get so excited when I think about God’s love and blessings.

As I mentioned earlier we lived in a 1981 Shultz mobile home, 2 bedrooms and 1 bath which, after having my third little boy, we quickly out grew our home. So yes Momma was on her knees bringing her needs before God. His word says in Philipians 4:19 “My God shall supply all of your needs (key word needs) according to his riches and glory.” God is always faithful and He always provides maybe not exactly as we desire or how we envision it but He always provides. He provided Moses a mother, a parted sea and the gift of leadership and I knew He could provide us with a more compatible home. As you can guess I once again broke out the little black budget book once more but this time nothing appeared in fact for several months nothing appeared and then one day one conversation led to a conversation with the bank that led to a trip to look at a new to me home. Another note to self, it doesn’t matter what the little black budget book says when God is ready to provide something for you it may not be written down in black and white.

Now this time on our way to look for a new home my words were nothing like my words were on the way to buy a car. This time my words were soft and thankful and humble and tearful and excited because this time I wasn’t telling God any thing I was thanking God and this time I was focused on the inside not the outside I was focused on what God had for us not what I wanted Him to have for us. When thinking of buying a new home you always have these mental images of what you desire what you can see yourself in and I like everyone else had them to the only difference was this time I keep them quiet. God knew my desires God know everything and all that mattered this time was that I was thankful! After looking at several mobile homes there it was the one that meet all of our needs the one that we could afford and funny as it seemed it had most of those mental images that I had envisioned my home would have.

Several weeks later our home was being delivered, off with the old and in with the new. I, in my little green cougar couldn’t wait to make it up our windy little road to see our new home setting where the 81 Shultz had once sat. Pulling up the drive way there it sat but I couldn’t believe what I saw. There it was right there a Red Roof. I began to cry when I saw the red roof. When we went to look at the home I was so focused on the inside and what our family needed and not on my wish list I never noticed the beautiful red roof. I put my car in park and bowed my head and with tearful eyes I thanked God for the cherry on top our little red roof.  You see my mental wish list, the list of desires that I had wanted in a home included a red roof. That roof was not only there for my desire but it was a reminder a reminder that God knows my every want and need and a reminder that He listens, He loves and He delivers.

          Speaking of delivery, you will love my black leather seats. Let’s move forward about 15 years and examine my little family once more. Since the green cougar, which eventually had its last day and since the red roof God has moved us from the country to the city the boys are nearly grown, my husband was recently injured on the job and is now disabled and for about the last 10 years we have cared for my father-in-law who had a stroke, we’ll call him papaw from here on out. In sharing this story I don’t want to give too much away as it relates to the “Crossing My Red Sea” chapter to follow. I had recently accepted a new job and this new job provided me with a company car. Once again God provided the Burchett family with a much needed new set of wheels. Now throughout the excitement of getting a new job, a new and improved job I might add you can’t begin to imagine how excited that we were as a family to know that momma was getting a new car. Once again, as human as I am I had a little wish list. Now I knew what kind of car I was getting but I didn’t know what color or anything about the interior. The boys and my husband were casting lots on what color it would be. However, I had this crazy feeling that it would be red and frankly at this time unlike the last time I didn’t care if it was green. God had changed my color vision to see beyond the paint.

While thanking God one night for my new job and my new journey that he had set before me I said to Him. “God I am so thankful for the new car that you are providing me it would be awesome if it had black leather seats.” I had always wanted a car with black leather seats, don’t know why just a wish list item.

          Early one morning my doorbell rang, and a sweet little lady greeted me with warm smile and said, “Are you, Rachelle Burchett.” I, of course replied yes and she went on to tell me that she was here to deliver my company car to me. Wow not only did God bless me with a new car but He delivered it too. I, trying to contain my excitement kindly thanked her as I followed her outside and down the driveway. There it sat, a red car, somehow I knew it I just giggled inside because I had won the bet with my boys. I was trying to listen to everything she was telling me but I was so excited and so thankful I was trying to contain myself until I opened the drivers side door and gazed upon the black leather seats. I was about to explode with tears and joy. Now, not because of a material item not because I had gotten what I wanted but because God give me a little something extra like He always does. I couldn’t get her out of the drive way fast enough, I ran into my house and screamed and shouted with tears rolling down my cheeks. My husband unaware of what was going on had to calm me down to explain why I was so hysterical. You see those black leather seats are just black leather seats but they are just like the red roof a reminder of His goodness. When I say reminder I mean that every time that I get in my little red car with black leather seats I smile and I know where they came from and I know that I am where I am supposed to be and I am able to thank Him everyday for His undeserved goodness.

          Take a moment and think about the green cars, red roofs and black leather seats in your life. Yes they are material things and are of no true value but isn’t in exciting to think that the Great I am, thinks and loves you enough to not only send His only son to die for you and that He has the whole world to take care of that He is intiment enough to know the unnecessary desires of your heart and gives them to you. Isn’t He just amazing.