Of Cars (and 15 passenger vans)

Never as a teenager through early twenties did my driving anything larger than the family station wagon enter my mind. And driving the station wagon while part of the privilege of being a driver in the house was only ok because I was a new driver and happy to be allowed to drive at all!
My own first car was a push button plymouth bought from my grandparents. And then it was the need for a car that eventually led to meeting the man who would become my husband. (a story for another time). Our first car was a little green vega which served us well and was eventually traded up for an eagle about the time we had four kids. It was totalled in a terrible 13 car accident during a white out one winter where a semi jacknifed across the highway. The settlement from that gave us the down payment on a mobile home moving us to the Valpo area just in time to start our first child in Christian School.
We were a one car family until we had our fifth baby when I began praying for my own car and found a really good deal on a small dark green vega station wagon. Up until then Marty was working long hours at our business quite a distance away, so getting kids to any thing was hard as well as my OB visits or grocery shopping ect. So I saw this as a NEED and prayed for it as such since I knew the promise of God to "supply all my need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus". I prayed for the car I wanted down to color and price as I remember it.
Soon after I began noticing every evening as we prayed before bed Jeremiah 7 years old at the time, would pray for a red van. And I mean every evening he would ask. I asked why red? He told me because it was the color of the blood of Jesus...One night Marty came home from work and said "Come see what is out in the driveway!" And there it was a beautiful red mini van! Given to us free and clear! Praise God!
As awesome as that is  (and it is still awesome!) I will make a general observation about how the circumstance we are at in life sometimes dictates what vehicle is exciting to us.  
As time went on we developed an unofficial outreach which had us taking neighborhood kids to church with us constantly. We moved up to full sized vans to 15 passenger vans (great for road trips with a large family too) (prompting me to question as I tried to park that at a grocery store- "What's next Lord? A semi truck?")  We even owned a bus for a while. Embarrassing for the kids I am pretty sure.
We are back down to moderate size vehicles now. A jeep for Marty and a pretty malibu for me. Both blessings albeit not free and clear this time. We have driven big vehicles, small vehicles fancy cars and junky cars.
Maybe I wil paraphrase Ecclesiastes 3
To everything there is a season
A time for every purpose under heaven:
There is a time to drive small cars
There is a time to drive vans
There is a time to drive crummy cars (well used maybe even abused)
There is a time to drive new cars ( or gently used)
and I have to laugh as I see verses 3 and 4
A time to kill (how many times did I kill the motor learning to drive our stick shift)
A time to heal
A time to break down!
and A time to build up
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance!
Bless you all and may you have vehicles that do NOT break down and may all your needs be met through Jesus Christ who loves you!