The White Cloud

My high school set of wheels was a 1960 white Ford Falcon. Driving it was a trip! It had a couple of highly noticeable fender dents, bright blue polyester seat covers to hide the worn interior, and when I would turn the steering wheel to the right, the horn would automatically honk. (I got really good at waving.) But I didn’t care—the “White Cloud” was mine and it got me where I needed to go…well, mostly.

One of the things I had to be careful of was the gas tank. The gauge didn’t work. But back in the 70s, with the price of gas at $0.57 a gallon, it didn’t take much to keep it full.

One winter evening my brother, Jeff, borrowed my car to do whatever ornery teenage brothers do. He must’ve driven it all night, because he left the gas tank practically dry. But do you think he had the sense to tell me? Not hardly.

The next day I had to perform with a singing group I was involved with at school. It was an evening performance and I was decked out in my formal wear with high heels. After singing I headed toward home—about 2 miles west of town—and just as I passed the Arkansas bridge, the White Cloud chug-a-chugged its last gas fume and slowly coasted to the side of the road.

My heart sank. It was cold, dark, miles from home and I was dressed in a silk dress with open-toe heels. Ugh!

My brother knew I had always kept careful watch on my gas tank, and he was just ornery enough to put me in this predicament on purpose. The thought of Jeff snickering at my situation made me even angrier as I trudged home in the dark. Thankfully, I made it home just fine.

When I am in God’s word, praying and filling my spiritual tank, my level of trust, faith and walk with Christ is steady. But if I’m not careful and miss a few days of fellowship with God, I tend to lose momentum, sputter along and eventually coast into the world.

Proverbs 4:26 says, “Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.”

Let these words encourage you to be in daily fellowship with God. Keep careful watch on your spiritual tank and you’ll never find yourself sputtering or coasting to the side of the road—but instead, walking in a strong, steadfast relationship with our Lord.