So long, Baxter

12 years ago, we did something foolish, as 19 and 22 year olds are known to do. It is the faux pas of many a young military couple, and we fell into the same trap.

We bought a brand new car with a massive loan, a 2007 Toyota Prius. We named him Baxter.

My “responsible” 30-something self would counsel anyone at that age and in those shoes to just say no. It’s not a good idea to have a car payment that big, your husband is only an E4 and you don’t have a steady job, I would tell her. You still owe on your trade-in, that loan is too much, stick to your budget, I would say. Are you crazy??

I doubt she would listen. I’m sure I didn’t. And while we probably never should have signed the line on that loan, the car was wonderful to us. It was our trusty road trip hatchback, taking us on trips around the country. It saw some damage that time I backed into a truck 6 months after buying it and sobbed in a parking lot while I called my husband to confess. It took the brunt of a deer running into its side, the dings of running over a blown out tire, and got towed once for being parked where it didn’t belong. It safely transported us to the hospital to deliver our first child, and took us back home with that tiny baby while my husband white knuckled the steering wheel. For the last 5 years it drove my husband safely back and forth through an unpleasant 45 minute commute. I planned for it to be my son’s first car. 

However, this week, after 12 wonderful, reliable years with Baxter, we have said goodbye. This wasn’t what I had planned. We were going to take our Prius to our new duty station where it would continue to log miles on my husband’s commute, aiming for the next big milestone of 200k miles. Instead, God asked us to let Baxter go to someone who needs a well maintained, and loved, car. Maybe we never should have made such a large and risky financial commitment, but God took care of us anyway. He redeemed what could have been a horrible mistake and used it for our good, and now he’s asked us to let it go to be used for someone else’s good.

Sometimes your job is to pray for someone’s need, and sometimes your job is to meet their need. We are honored to have the opportunity to do just that.

Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. 1 John 3:18 (NLT)

And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. 2 Corinthians 9:8 (NLT)