Anchor Points: How a $900 Car Wash Taught Me What Anxiety Really Costs
What happens when anxiety takes the wheel even when you’re supposed to stay on the path?
From calm anticipation to sudden panic—that’s the unexpected ride of anxiety at the car wash. In a moment, logic vanished and fear hijacked the wheel. But this moment mirrors our spiritual lives when we forget who is guiding.
In today’s Anchor Point, I share:
- How a routine stop at an unfamiliar car wash turned into a panic‑fueled crash
- Why anxiety convinces us that trust is unsafe, even when it’s the only safe choice
- How Jesus invites us to lean in, letting Him guide when we feel visibility has vanished
Scripture (NIV):
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” — Proverbs 3:5
💬 Want to talk about it more?
What moment does anxiety drive you to take the wheel—even when you know it’s not safe?
When have you let go and felt God steer you into peace?
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Transcript
There needs to be a sign outside of all car washes that says if you're feeling anxious, do not proceed. Anxiety and car washes, they don't mix so well. So there I was with my daughter trying to get the car clean. It's not our usual car wash, which was part of the issue. So we're there and the car behind us seemed to inch way too close for comfort.
You know how sometimes there's two cars in there at the same time. Now, logic would suggest that staying put and trust the machine to guide my car along would be the thing to do. But when you have anxiety and it kicks in, there's no such thing as logic anymore. There's no such thing as rational thinking.
It is fight or flight. So there I am with my daughter. I've got visibility reduced to zero, thanks to all the soap, suds everywhere. And I decide I'm gonna put the car into drive. Not to race outta there and floor it outta there, but to move the process along since I felt like the car behind us was gonna run into us.
And I'm panicking. This was a terrible idea. Okay, don't do this. Not only was it like navigating through a battlefield, because I can't see anything. I ended up crashing into the side and put a nice big dent and scratch on the front of my car. It was a nice $900. Scratch. This sadly can be my relationship with Christ.
He says, here you go. Trust in my plan and the path that I have laid out for you. It's a good one. It's gonna purify you. I've got you. But instead, because I am me, I'm like, I don't like what's going on. I don't like how long this is taking. I don't like what I see, so I grab the wheel, try to get myself out of the situation without consulting the Lord, and I just take over and then I end up with no visibility, can't see where I'm going, and I crash and I crumble.
