Dear Little Girl…God is in the Details (Even the Car You Drive)
I bought a car…
but that’s not really the story.
After saying goodbye to my 21-year-old Sequoia that carried us through everything, I found myself searching for the “right” replacement—until I realized I didn’t have to get it perfect…just peaceful.
And when I finally sat in the driver’s seat, I looked up and saw the words:
“Jesus loves you.”
Welp…I got a new car.
And I love it.
But before I tell you about the new one…
you need to understand the one that came before her.
Mary Poppins
I have been driving a car I fell madly in love with…
a 2005 Toyota Sequoia.
And when I tell you I drove that baby until it cost more to fix her than she was worth…
I mean it.
She was like Mary Poppins. Hence the name Mary Poppins.
She could fit EVERYONE.
Carpool? Got it.
Dance equipment? No problem.
A lamp? Sure.
Honestly…she could probably fit a couch if we needed her to.
She was magical.
One of Graeme’s buddies, Hall, used to say he loved my car because of her smell and that soft, soft leather.
And I loved how high she sat me.
I felt like I commanded the road.
If someone needed a ride?
“I’ve got them ALL—no worries.”
If my boss needed me to meet at storage for set design?
“I can get everything.”
She was that girl.
But…she was also 21 years old.
And she let me know it was time.
👉 When the brakes went out on the way back from Houston.
That was fun.
NOT.
The Search
So the hunt began.
And honestly…that wasn’t easy for me.
I wanted:
space
height
leather
a sunroof
and (in my dream world) seating for 8
But reality started to set in.
They don’t make those big third rows like they used to.
And financially, it didn’t make sense for this season.
So I started talking to God about it.
And slowly…my perspective shifted.
👉 I’m actually almost done with carpools.
That season is changing.
So my search changed too.
Mid-size SUV.
Still tall.
Still leather.
Still sunroof.
Still me.
Narrowing it down
I landed on three:
Land Cruiser
4Runner
Genesis GV80
The Land Cruiser?
Beautiful…
but out of the price range I felt peace about.
The Genesis?
Stunning inside…
but lower to the ground and not the most reliable right now.
So…
👉 4Runner it was.
The One
We found her.
White.
Limited.
Sunroof.
And…
Redwood leather.
Not my original “tan dream”…
but I decided to do something I don’t always do easily:
👉 I put it in God’s hands.
No over-controlling.
No spiraling.
Just:
“Lord, if this is it…make it clear.”
The Wink
The car arrived.
I opened the door.
Sat in the driver’s seat.
And looked up.
Written across the windshield were the words:
“Jesus loves you.”
I just sat there.
Because after all the decisions…
all the adjusting…
all the letting go of what I thought it had to be…
It felt like a whisper:
👉 “We did good, Amy. This is your car.”
And then…this happened
My mother-in-law took it for a drive.
Now, if you know her, you know this:
She feels my brother-in-law Marc’s presence in dragonflies.
And would you believe…
She pulled back in and said a dragonfly had flown right into the windshield.
You can believe what you want…
But to us?
👉 That felt like Marc saying:
“Hey…this is GREAT.”
And I think that’s what I want you to take from this.
Not what car I bought.
Not what features it had.
But this:
👉 God is in the details.
Even the small ones.
Even the everyday ones.
Even the decisions we think are just “practical.”
You don’t have to get it perfect.
You just have to:
listen
adjust
trust
and take the next step
Because He meets you there.
Sometimes in a whisper.
Sometimes in a windshield.
And sometimes…
👉 in a dragonfly.
So goodbye to Mary Poppins…
thank you for carrying us through so many seasons.
And hello to something new.
I have a feeling…
this one is going to carry us just as well.