I was driving to Minter, Alabama, to visit a family in my shiny new gray Toyota Corolla with a black vinyl roof. They had given me directions: “Drive south on Hwy 41 until you reach a fork in the road. At the fork, turn left and go until you see a large oak tree on the left side of the road with an old car under it.” I followed their instructions, reached the tree, and turned left onto a dirt road. Bumping along, I came to a mud hole that stretched across the road. Seeing no way around it, I stopped, shifted into reverse, and started backing up. I didn’t want to drive my new car through that mud hole.

But then I heard my conscience ask, “Whose car is this?” Immediately, I remembered dedicating the car to God before I drove it off the lot at Selma Toyota. “Yours,” I replied. God then said, “If you use this car to take care of my people, I will take care of it.”

I shifted the gear into drive, splashed through the mud, and headed to the family’s house. I realized that my car was not to be for show but for service. With that Toyota, I took church members where they needed to go, carried building materials for the church renovation, taught young people how to drive, and did many other tasks. And God kept His word. With his blessing, I put over 270,000 miles on that car.

From then on, every time I have purchased a vehicle, I make sure to do two things before I leave the car lot: one, ensure my automobile insurance covers it; and two, dedicate it to God for His service. And God has blessed each vehicle. My current 2007 Ford F-150 has more than 370,000 miles, looks good, and is running well. God blesses what we give to him.