Lesson 2: Always Love…not fear

My friend was kind enough to take some time away from his family to help me look at a car a couple of weeks back. After searching for a few days, I’d found one I thought I wanted. From the test drive, everything seemed fine. I’d done a cursory check but needed a second, and more educated, opinion. So there he was 🙂

He agreed it seemed like a good deal. Only one previous owner…under 80k miles…clean title…but, he asked, “how badly do you want this car?” To be honest, even before I called for his opinion, I was pretty sure I’d get it. I was already weary from the search and just wanted it to be over. I just wanted to settle back into a normal existence. Yearning for my independence again. I was ready to get a car.

In my subsequent research, I learnt that one of the tips to getting a good deal on a car is that you have to be willing to walk away from it if it doesn’t meet your terms. The moment you show signs of desperation or emotional attachment, you lose your bargaining power.

But what if I let this one go and nothing like it ever comes my way again? What if this is as good as it gets – it’s not exactly what I want, but what if it’s the best I’ll ever find? What if I regret my decision to wait for the right deal?

Those are not the thoughts of someone who wants the right car at the right price!
You’ve just got to believe that good things come. That this glimpse at something similar to what you want is only a promise of better things to follow. That there’s a chance you’ll have the perfect deal, if you’d just wait.

My friend made me wait before committing to that car. And although the dealer had been unmoveable on the price the day before, he called me with a lower price, out-the-door, the next day. And the day after that, the price came down even further!
I seriously thought that someone would literally walk into that dealership and buy that car at their asking price the moment I walked out the door. But there he was, offering me the discount I had requested before.

The time of waiting and reflection also made it evident that that wasn’t the car for me anyway. It gave me time to think about my goals for the next few years and my current financial status and I came to a clearer notion of what I need in a car right now.

I’ve come to conclude that it’s a dangerous thing to act out of fear. Doing something for fear rather than for love is no place for a Christian – even when it comes buying a car. Here is a summation of this conclusion:

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:17