I Won A Truck

Image by Sergio Rota via Unsplash.

Like, seriously, I did—but I never claimed the prize. Here’s the story of what happened.

When I was a kid, I won a truck.

I must have been about eight years old (an age where I could read, but still young and trusting enough to take people at their word.)

“Who ever wins those? There’s no grand prize under the cap. They just want you to buy more Coke. Except...I did win.”

My family had 2-liter bottles of soda at the house. You know, the big plastic ones with a twist-off cap. I remember it was a dark soda so I’m going to say it was Coca-Cola.
There was a promotion on the label featuring the details of a grand prize truck and to look under the cap to see if it was my lucky day. 

Like, who ever wins those? There’s no grand prize under the cap. They just want you to buy more Coke.

Except…I did win. I remember it to this day.  I remember twisting off the cap, flipping it over, and peering into it. There was a printed image of a truck that said, “You’ve won.”

I excitedly went to my brother’s room and showed him the cap, “Look! We won a truck!”

He took one look and said, “Oh, that’s a scam. It’s not real.”

Thank you, bro, for introducing doubt into my mind.

I stood there and looked at the cap in my hand with its black-inked image of a truck. 

“I looked at that suddenly worthless bottle cap in my hand and I distinctly remember tossing it into the kitchen trash. ”

I decided to show my dad.

Guess what he said? That it wasn’t real. That we hadn’t won a truck. 

My brother didn’t believe we’d won a truck.

My father didn’t believe we’d won a truck. 

I was a young girl, wishing we could have won a nice, fully-loaded truck. I looked at that suddenly worthless bottle cap in my hand and I distinctly remember tossing it into the kitchen trash. 

I did that because I trusted and believed two people in my life who were older and wiser than me (or so I thought.)

Where was my mom?!! If my mom had been a part of this story, I feel we would’ve gotten that truck.

Shoot. 

“Was that my last chance? Was that my once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?”

My dad and brother are wholly unlike my mom. Guess who’s very much like mom? Yep. Me. I’m her mini-me. Not only do I look like her, but I also think like her.

Sigh…

Was that my last chance? Was that my once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? Is that the reason why I will never win any other contest, or hit the jackpot with a lottery ticket, or find that treasure I’ve been hoping for every time I beachcomb?

“The ironic thing was that my family regularly drove old beaters.”

The ironic thing was that my family regularly drove old beaters. These cars—if you could call them cars—weren’t pretty to look at. The windows would stop rolling up and down and we’d have to tape the glass permanently up. Otherwise, the window would fall down inside the car door and good luck trying to fish that hunk o’ glass outta the door frame on a rainy day. 

I have several memories of our cars stalling in the middle of intersections. We’d have to get out and push it in front of all those eyes. 

“Our cars were ‘special’ and our lawn was...strange.”

My parents fled to the United States during the Vietnam War and, somehow, we lived in middle-class, white suburbia where people had nice things and manicured lawns.  We were the only Asian family in the neighborhood. Our cars were “special” and our lawn was…strange. My dad would mow just one strip of grass and leave the rest of the lawn with its foot-high weeds. I’m not making that up. To this day, I still don’t understand why he did that. Like, why did he even bother mowing? I was painfully shy back then, otherwise I would’ve mowed the entire lawn myself. 

* * *

What’s more, my dear husband has wanted a nice truck our entire marriage. That’s 15 years of wanting a sweet truck. 

Oh, you want a truck, do ya? I actually won a nice one, once—but I threw it away. And my luck may be out for winning another one.

🙄😳😱😏😞🥺😑 So many emoji faces for this one. 

* * *

These days, I don’t immediately believe everything I hear. I’ll listen. But don’t expect me to take your side right away. You’ll find that I ask questions and prefer to fact-check for myself. After all, as a kid, I literally threw away something valuable that would’ve helped my family. All because I believed a lie.

Most everyone should be this way, really. Go find out for yourself. Ignorance and unbelief will cost you.

It could even cost you a sweet prize.

** Further Thoughts **

• I’ve learned that it doesn’t hurt to pursue a lead.

  Rather than throw away the cap, it wouldn’t have hurt to look into it and see where the bottle cap would’ve led. The worst that would’ve happened was that we gave away some of our life looking into something that didn’t live up to its claim. But if it did….the return would’ve been well worth the time.

• I really appreciate people who don’t jump to conclusions and instead study it out for themselves.

  This goes for the gossip that circulates, the news that we read and hear, and all those social media posts coloring people and topics in one light or another.

  Make a conscious effort to not let those things influence you. Study it out for yourself. 

* * *

And while I’m thinking of it. Let’s get Biblical.

“Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” Acts 17:11

These people were eager to know the truth and were willing to examine the facts to see if what Paul said was true.

Maybe you don’t believe in the Bible. That’s alright. We can still be friends. Study it out for yourself. See if it lives up to its claims. If it does, the return will be well worth the time spent looking into it.

The Bible is full of value. Many toss it aside due to ignorance or unbelief.

Maybe someone told you something about the Bible that isn’t actually true. Maybe a picture was painted of Jesus or God that isn’t actually accurate. Know the Bible for yourself. See what it says for yourself before tossing it away as a lie.

The sweet prize of the Bible? Peace, healing (mentally, spiritually, relationally…), knowing true love, knowing your worth, and so much more.

And the grand prize? Eternal life with Jesus. It’s His free gift. Way better than any truck off a prize-winning cap. You can toss His offer aside, but the offer will still be there. It’s yours for the taking.

💛

If you enjoyed this story or it gave you good food for thought, consider adding a comment to let me know how it impacted you, big or small.