Car Rides

There is something very therapeutic about a car ride. Many times I have gotten out of a car a different person than when I got in. Even in short distances. There is just something about the open road ahead of you that knows no boundaries as to what might happen before your destination is reached.

Yesterday I was on my way home from class, a 30 minute drive, and thinking about random things. The thought crossed my mind to do something nice for someone, and then immediately I wondered to myself, Am I only loved because of the good things I do? If I never did anything nice or special for someone ever again, would I still be loved? The question came out of nowhere. I started wondering if people only really love and care about others because of the things they do or don't do. I think we are all guilty of it to a certain degree, but in this moment I was in a serious worrisome state. The question begged an answer. Could I ever be loved simply because I am Christie?

I will go out on a limb here and take a risk that it might snap off...
I have been guilty of doing things for people for the benefit of being liked. I hate that. It's never a conscious thought I'm thinking, but in the back of my mind I know I'm wanting them to be pleased with me. I'm a people-pleaser. I wish I wasn't. I want no ulterior motives except to benefit someone else in any possible way.

Back to the car. I'm wrestling with this question for quite some time and it was a very intense thinking process. Would someone like me simply because of my spirit? Am I delighted in? Does my heart make people feel better simply because they know me? What if I suddenly did terrible things? What then? All these questions just kept coming up. This car ride was so unlike any other I've had. I was seriously needing answers.

The first question came up again. Am I only loved because of the good things I do?

I heard a Voice at that moment that made my heart drop. People's love may be conditional, but My Love for you is for always. No matter what you do, I will always love you for you.

In the times I have left Him, He has never left me. Christ loves me because I am me. And there's a place in His heart that only I can fill. Jesus knows when we need to hear something. I needed this.

Car rides are an irreplaceable aspect of life. (Except when you take out a shopping cart in the dark. Now that is definitely replaceable).