Why I Don't Want a New Car

Remember last month when everybody was all obsessed with the Mega Millions lottery because it was up to an insanely high amount? And then, someone else won and they each got millions and millions of dollars?

I do.

I don’t play the lottery. But when the buzz hits like it did last month, with the jackpot ridiculously high, it’s hard not to be caught up in all the excitement, because, “hey, SOMEbody’s gotta win, right?”

(Don’t tell Dave Ramsey I said that.)

And of course, when you think about the lottery, you inevitably drift away into the imaginary “what-if-I-actually-won” world and start spending those millions in your mind.

Well, as I was doing this, driving around in my beat-up ’00 GMC Sierra, I realized that I wouldn’t want to buy a really nice car.

I mean, don’t get me wrong. I, like any red-blooded American male, enjoy the sights and smells of a brand new car, but I realized, even if I was rich, I wouldn’t want a nice car because then I’d have to worry about it.

My current car may only be a few years away from retirement, but it’s been reliable. It’s not the prettiest anymore, the AC doesn’t work, it’s got a couple scratches and dings, but it’s still a great car. My dad bought it used, rode it until he could afford a newer car, and passed this truck down to me.

It’s a nice little truck, but it’s not worth much.

If I had a brand new, polished and primed, never been touched car, I would have to worry about it all the time. Constantly examine it for dings and scratches, get it washed every couple of days, park far away so no one would park next to me. I’d get so protective of it that I’d never really enjoy it.

When all you do is worry about something, you’ll never experience it like you want to.

One of the hardest lessons we learn in this life is how pointless and detrimental worry is. We constantly freak out about the future, afraid of the unknown, panicked over what may or may not ever happen, and yet, we cannot do anything about it.

And because of that, we cannot enjoy the now, we cannot live in the moment, we cannot see the blessing God has for us TODAY.

All worry is a form of not trusting God enough. If you’ve given your heart to God and accepted His plan for your life, then worry not, because He’s got this under control. It might not go the way you think it should, but it will go the way He knows it needs to. When things go wrong, He will be there to protect you, somehow, someway.

I will never own a nice car, because I don’t want to add unnecessary worry to my life.

But I own several pointless worries that are hindering me just as much or more, about my own life, family, and future. Help me, Father, to trust in you.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”
-Matthew 6:25-27 NIV84

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Matt Coker
Celebrate Recovery Director
Media Director

Matt has been involved in the Celebrate Recovery program since 2006 and become the Ministry Leader of Highland's CR program in late 2016. Matt is the church's Media Director. He maintains this website and the church's social media accounts, as well as all graphic design, audio/visual needs, and video production. He also proudly serves as the church janitor.