My wife and I buy cars infrequently and almost inevitably get over 100,000 miles on our cars. So my car, a 2005 BMW X3 was at that stage with 118,000 miles where virtually everything was going wrong. I drove all winter on bald tires constantly fighting the need to replace them because they were "high performance" tires that cost $1500 or so a set. I also had some electrical issues and I drove all last summer with the air conditioning not working. Why put myself through all this pain? Because I know every BMW repair is at least $1,000 and we just could not afford it. I finally reached a point last week however where I could no longer coax any more miles from "Fonzie" (we name all of our cars). I knew we were coming to that point and we finally had a little money to actually deal with car problem.
My attitude towards cars has changed substantially. I now view cars as basic transportation. While I don't think I bought the BMW ("Beamer") as a status symbol, I think I certainly enjoyed the status. Thus, my trade-in car is (drum roll please) a Toyota Prius C and a bright red one to boot. I guess I am confident in my manhood when people tell me I now drive a "cute" car. I actually enjoy this car - it is fun to drive and it gets 50 MPG. Now, unlike the Beamer, it goes from 0-60 in an hour so I have to be a little more careful about when I pull out in an intersection or pass someone on a freeway. It is definitely an adjustment from the German engineering.
I just finished an abstract of Dan Ariely's book Predictably Irrational. In it, he talks about the High Price of Ownership. He talks about the ongoing temptation to improve the quality of our lives by buying "stuff". Debsue and I certainly have gone through that phase of our lives. The cure to the problem of ownership according to Ariely is to view things as a "non-owner" and putting some distance between yourself and the item of interest.
I can only think that biblically, this concept is spot-on. God is not opposed to possessions. But the problem is when these things possess us, not when we possess them. Are we prepared to give up what we own on this earth? Matthew 6:19-21 says "we are not to store up for ourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But instead up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust cannot destroy and thieves cannot break in and steal". There are only two things that have eternal value - people and God's word. There are no U-Hauls going to heaven. The non-owner sees himself as stewards with what God has given him. I can honestly see that truth as I struggle to live it. Even now, the non-owner was playing with all of the little gadgets in his Prius this afternoon.
So the next time you see me driving my "cute" Prius, just remember it is really not mine. God has given it to me to manage to get from here to there as a non-owner. I may even let you ride in it.
