Blessings From a Broken Car
I bought a used car a few years ago. Back in 2022, the used car market was really inflated and after researching for a while, we settled on a 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe with about 50K miles on it. The body looked great and it had a lot of fancy options. After driving it for about six months, I had to bring it in for an oil change. I was very surprised when my mechanic told me that there was barely any motor oil in the tank. He told me that I should keep my eye on it and he muttered something about cars not being built like they used to.
Ever since then, I’ve been worried about this car. I wondered when the oil would dry out and I would be left abandoned on the highway, my worst nightmare. After bringing the car in to get the oil filled for the umpteenth time, Kenny, the mechanic, told me to sell the car right away. And whenever I spoke to anyone who knew about cars about my problem, they shook their heads and said that it’s a big problem and that I should get rid of the car. I knew that I needed to sell the car but I felt that it was impossible to sell it. To resell the car I would need to either sell it privately but I would never get a good price if I told them it had such a big issue with it. Or if I tried to trade it in, I would probably have to pay up a lot because of the condition of the car.
On one visit to Kenny, he suggested that I should check on the warranty. Maybe the manufacturer would cover the repairs. So, with high expectations, I called a local Hyundai dealer and told them about my situation. The lady who answered the phone said that since I was the second owner that the car would not be covered by the warranty. My heart sank. For months I drove the car around with dread and fear. It got to the point where I had to keep gallons of motor oil in the trunk and had to fill up every couple of weeks. By this time, I learned how to open the hood, check the oil level and fill up the oil myself. I had a whole kit in the trunk - oil, rag, funnel, and gloves. But I knew that it was a temporary fix and that the car burning up oil was a disaster waiting to happen, but I didn’t know what to do. It was a big problem that was always in the back of my mind. I should have prayed about it but didn’t even pray. I thought it was too small for God to worry about.
About a month ago, I saw a mailer that said that my car was due for a recall. I made an appointment and when I was checking in my car, I told the attendant that I’ve been having this problem with the oil burning up, and would they be able to check it. The attendant said that they would be able to and they have a routine they follow when a car has that problem. He was going to fill up the oil, measure it and seal the tank so that it couldn’t be tampered with. I needed to bring in the car after a thousand miles and they would check the oil level.
The next day, I needed to fly to Atlanta so my plan was to drive the car to my parent’s house and get a cab to the Laguardia airport. But after driving on the Taconic Parkway for about twenty minutes, the car started to act unusually. It started to shake violently. Soon after I saw the engine light on the dashboard light up. My worst fear of being stuck on the highway was looming upon me and I was scared. With my heart thumping, I said a short word of prayer. My church happened to be 15 minutes away and I was hoping that I could at least make it to church. It didn’t seem possible with how the car was shaking and reacting, but amazingly, the car made it to the church.
As soon as I got to the church, I called the dealer and told them what happened and whether I can send the car back to them. They confirmed that I could have it towed there. I called AAA and they agreed to pick up the car. Meanwhile, there was a food pantry going on and my church members were there volunteering. They told me that I was very lucky to have arrived at the church in one piece. My pastor was kind enough to drive me to the airport and I met the AAA man just as I was about to leave for the airport from the church. The timing couldn’t be better. I made the flight on time even with all the car problems, praise God.
After I got back from Atlanta I called the dealer to ask about the car. They said that it would need a new engine. In the back of my mind, I kept thinking that they would have found out that I was not the original owner and tell me that they were sorry but the repair would have to be paid by me. But surprisingly, they never said that. They gave me a brand new loaner car to drive while the motor was getting changed out. Until I drove away with my fixed car, I let out a sigh of relief that they weren’t going to charge me for the new motor. The attendant said that I should have no problems with this new motor and I drove away without paying a cent for the whole new motor.
God is so good. He created solutions for me that I could not have imagined and He did it in such a way that I could not possibly believe that it was a coincidence. The timing, the circumstances all pointed to a God that was watching out for me. The God of the universe saw me with my car problems and worked them out. My heart is so full of gratitude and love for God for helping me with my situation. I praise God that living a life as a Christian is not a faraway idea, of a future reward of life in Heaven. Walking with Jesus is a daily reminder that He is with us in our small problems and big. “Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.” Psalms 103:1-3.