Earlier this summer my vehicle started having trouble. I love my 2003 Jeep Liberty. I was only supposed to have it for a few years, but ten years later, it’s mostly going strong. With a bit of age creeping in.

My husband and I went car shopping, and I test drove all the vehicles that are comparable in size to my Liberty. Problem? I didn’t want a newer car. Especially after my husband brought the Jeep to some buddies at a garage and they told him how to fix the problem. He got the parts and replaced a few things. (What, I don’t know. I am not a car person.) His time and labor took care of the problem and while my car is still creaky, the air conditioning runs super cold, I only drive the Jeep around town and the major point is, I like it!

I finally narrowed my search down to a few specific models, but my heart isn’t in it. I don’t want car payments, for sure. If my car just stopped running, that’s a different story. I’d have to make a decision.

Is it just me or do most people have a problem with change?

I suppose the answer would be that everyone is different. My husband loves cars, so car shopping is fun for him. I go home with a headache. And even though we both come at the process from different angles, we did have fun spending time together while looking at cars.

It made me think about how well our Father knows us. He places us with people who bolster us when we might not be doing well in an area because they are stronger than we are. Or on the flip side, I might be able to help someone who is struggling because I have a differing point of view or experience. My issue is that I don’t like change, but my husband is an adventurer who isn’t afraid to drop everything to try something new. Yet we still work as a couple.

God had blessed us all with wonderful people in our lives. We also encounter challenging people, but in it all, God is with us. He places us with people who might need us or we them. We have an opportunity to show the Father’s love to the world just by being who we are. God has uniquely made us all. It’s great that we aren’t all carbon copies of each other.

It may have seemed like I rambled from my car shopping story to focusing on our gracious God, but I wanted to take a task we’ve all experienced in life to highlight how God is with us in every situation. In the process of shopping, we got to meet people and shine the love of God on them. I learned to appreciate my husband so much more. And even though I’m not a fan of car shopping, I made the effort to give my opinion instead of letting my husband handle it because I couldn’t be bothered. God works for all our good, even in the mundane process of car shopping.

Just so you know, I’m still driving the Jeep and I’m very happy. My husband is still looking for cars, which makes him very happy. That might change in the future, but we’ll handle it together and with God.

Tara Randel is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling author. Family values, a bit of mystery and of course, love and romance, are her favorite themes, because she believes love is the greatest gift of all. Look for her Harlequin Heartwarming romance THE SURPRISE NEXT DOOR, available May 2025. For more information about her books, visit Tara at www.tararandel.com. Like her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TaraRandelBooks.