Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. (Acts 3:2-3, 6-7 NIV)

Growing up, I could be often found working with my dad in the garage. I loved - and still do - helping with woodworking, tinkering, and even car maintenance. From oil changes to rotating tires, I’ve been all around cars. One of my favorite parts is opening the hood.

Underneath the hood, you see everything that the car needs to make it run. All of these things, from the enormous engine to the oil filters, from the small tank dedicated to windshield wiper fluid to carefully intertwined wires, allow you to operate the car. As important as all of these things are, you can’t actually see them unless you lift up the hood of the vehicle. 

Our lives are like cars. I know, bold statement… but hear me out! Cars can look amazing on the outside, even if there is nothing to make it run under the hood. But they come alive when there is an engine, transmission, etc. inside, to make the car work as it was created to. Similarly, we humans spend a lot of time making ourselves look good on the outside, but we cannot function as we were made to without certain things under our hoods. You can’t always see underneath the hood, but try to get somewhere without an engine, or crossed wires, or a transmission!

In this week’s passage, Peter passes a lame beggar who is begging for money. The man believes that money is the engine he needs to make him thrive in his life. Peter knows better however, and instead gives him what he truly needs: Jesus! The man is then able to live his life realizing that money is not the engine that he needs to function; it’s Christ!

When we fill our human shells with the grace and goodness of Christ, we are able to run as we were created to. Then, the rest of the components just fall into place around the motor that is Christ: prayer, reading Scripture, etc. are all things that just continue to make our lives better and better. 

As we go into this week, think about how you can open the hood of your life and allow Christ to supply the motor it needs to run well. Then the car that is your life will run better than you could’ve ever imagined!