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200,000 Miles of Thanksgiving

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Written By Tim Brister

Tim has a missionary heart for his hometown to love those close to him yet far from God. He is husband to Dusti and father to Nolan, Aiden, and Adelyn - fellow pilgrims to our celestial city.

It was a pleasant 72 degrees at 4:45 this morning while I sat parked on the side of I-71 just north of the Watterson Parkway, reflecting on the past 200,000 miles of my life. That’s right. Today, my 2ooo Toyota Avalon eclipsed the 200,000 mile mark, and I celebrated with a 20 oz. Dr. Pepper. I thought about doing one of those, “I love what you do for me” Toyota commercials, but that is so ’80’s. However, I would like to give thanks for what God has done for me, recognizing however that no small post could do justice to 200,000 miles. While it is not quite the same thing as being led through the wilderness without my sandals being worn off my feet, my thanksgiving should be no less. So here are my post-200,000 reflections of thanksgiving.

Thank you, Lord, for

your providence in all my travels,
your protection from danger and harm,
the power of mobility and transportation,
the personal discussions shared with close friends,
the professionalism of auto makers and mechanics,
the privilege of helping others in their time of need,
your financial provision with full tanks, new tires, and a reliable car,
the peace you gave me when I made my bed in the back seat of my car,
your presence as you have been with me, especially in the long, lonely drives,
the pleasures you gave me in all the meditations and messages that developed,
the picture this moment brings, knowing that I am just a pilgrim passing through.

8 thoughts on “200,000 Miles of Thanksgiving”

  1. Jenny,

    $2 gallon for gas is what happened.

    I simply could not afford spending over $50 a week to get from work to school to home, especially after having moved to Louisville and working with a seminary budget!

    I do miss the Tundra though. 😐

  2. Good reflections on God’s goodness.

    That’s some crazy high mileage on a 7 year old car. Did you put all those miles on there? I guess small town living keeps my mileage low.

  3. As Jenny rightly points out, I used to drive a 2000 Toyota Tundra. I put 110,000 miles on it in almost four years. Then, in 2004, I swapped cars with my parents and took the Avalon because of the increased gas prices and living off less than half my prior income. I think I got the Avalon with right around 100,000 miles on it. On average, I put about 35,000 miles a year on the car (right now somewhere around 75 miles a day). Both the Avalon and Tundra have been great vehicles, and I am grateful that there has not been any major mechanical failure or wreckage.

  4. That’s some crazy driving Tim. 35k a year is definitely burning rubber. The average tire only lasts that long, so I guess you get a new set of tires every year. What a great Christmas present. LOL

    Thanks for “awakening” me to remember to give thanks for the things that we easily take for granted. I guess I got stuck in the “faith-for-granted” loop where I forget to give thanks to God for the luxuries we have by driving in a safe and reliable car, with a full tank of gas, on maintained roads to get me to and fro.

    Blessings,
    Mark

  5. Mark,

    It’s funny that you say that, because I put a new set of tires on the car just this week! I was hoping for a nice Labor Day sale, but it was okay.

    Yeah, the whole 200,000 mile mark got me really thinking about common grace in the giftedness of auto engineers and mechanics and divine providence in all my travels. As I began to think about it more, I realized that there is so much to be thankful to God for that I too often take for granted. Thanks for sharing.

    Rollin’ with my new set of wheels,

    Timmy

  6. Great stuff.

    Wow, God’s protection and provision is beyond my comprehension as much as his love for my fallenness and his sovereignty over my free-will. God is awesome and worthy to be praised.

    Thanks for the wake-up call. I’ve got two cars over 140,000 and I need to be making my thanksgivings loudly for me and my wife.

    God bless you, Timmy.

    Ron Kinzel

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