What can a car battery teach us about faith and finances?

Note: This video was originally produced for our monthly client newsletter, Guidepost.

Have you ever noticed how your car battery never seems to die when it’s convenient?

It’s always the coldest morning of the year. You’re running late, your fingers are numb, and just as you turn the key…

Click… click… click…

Nothing.

While most of us assume it’s the winter cold that kills a battery, it’s actually the summer heat that damages and weakens the battery. The cold simply reveals the problem.

This is because high temperatures can cause:

• The battery’s internal fluid to evaporate
• Corrosion to form on terminals and internal components
• A reduced ability to hold a charge

Then, when it’s cold outside, the lower temperatures slow the chemical reaction inside the battery, and thicker engine oil makes the engine harder to turn over. The weakness caused by the summer heat finally shows up when your battery can’t start your car.

The hidden risk of a good market

So, why in the world are we talking about car batteries!? Well, lately, it’s been a “summer season” for investors. Despite some recent short-term volatility:

• Stocks have hit record highs this past quarter.
• Inflation has largely been at bay.
• The Fed has cut rates again.
• It’s not just the big tech names driving the rally anymore.
• We’re seeing strength spread across more parts of the market, which is a healthy sign for the broader economy.
• Stock markets are doing well, with over 80% of companies beating earnings expectations so far this quarter.

In short, as far as the market returns go, things generally feel warm and good right now.

But here’s the tension and hidden risk for followers of Jesus:

Just like the summer heat that quietly weakens a car’s battery, these “summer” markets can quietly begin to weaken our faith.

What I mean by that is, when everything’s going right—our portfolios are up, the economy feels strong—it’s easy for our confidence to begin to drift without even noticing it happening. As you have heard me say before, our source of peace starts to migrate from the Provider to the provision.

Then, when “winter” eventually comes—when markets drop or uncertainty sets in—things like anxiety, worry, and fear come on strong, and we assume it’s all because of the markets.

Yet in reality, they’re simply revealing the ways our “battery”—our faith—might have weakened during those “summer” months.

So, how do we guard against this?

Well, for our cars, it means parking in the garage or in the shade.

And for our faith, when you see your portfolio rising, it means remembering where our true security comes from—embracing a posture of gratitude and recognizing that all of this, ultimately, is a gift!

Now, please hear me say: there’s nothing inherently wrong with enjoying the good seasons. In fact, it’s right to celebrate them—to recognize that these are gifts from a faithful Provider! And as we head closer to 2026, hopefully, we continue to see the numbers in our accounts rise.

Yet if they do, take a moment to pause, to “park your faith in the shade of God’s promises” and give thanks.

After all, markets change, and our account balances will fluctuate. Yet the One who provides is steadfast through it all.