Friday, January 4, 2008

Who's Driving?

Life can be so utterly confusing sometimes! I remember when I was growing up, I would watch my parents intently as either one or the other would be driving me somewhere. I kept thinking to myself, "It doesn't look that hard, I wonder why they say kids can't drive." The first time I got behind the wheel of a car, that misinformed childhood notion was quickly dispelled. I grew up in a country where most people drove manual transmission cars. It never occurred to me that, shifting the gears, engaging the clutch to shift the gears, accelerating, steering the vehicle, watching for traffic, applying the right amount of pressure on the brakes at the right time... all required major coordination and concentration. Fortunately for me, my very wise (and patient) mother, recognizing that my childish insistence that I could drive was merely empty machinations, allowed me behind the wheel in a vast open parking lot where I could do no damage (except to my pride).


Did I mention that I was 9 years old when all this happened? I quickly learned to be truly grateful for my parents who would shuttle me anywhere I needed to go, instead of trusting me to drive myself there (we won't get into the issue of needing a driver's license). Anyway, I was reminded of that event because of something I read this morning:

"Christ did not give you a car and tell you to push it. He didn't even give you a car and tell you to drive it. You know what He did? He threw open the passenger door, invited you to take a seat, and told you to buckle up for the adventure of your life. Don't let stumbles stop you. Come and keep coming. Drink and keep drinking. Ask and keep asking."

So what's the point of the story? It's simply this: Real life often lulls you into the misguided notion that living successfully is easy to do. All you have to do is make a few right decisions here and there, right? Well, you quickly discover the fallacy of that notion (just like I did about driving a car the first time I got behind the wheel), when you have to contend with all that life throws at you, all at once. Wise men and women have discovered that the only way to navigate through life successfully is to get into the "passenger" seat, buckle up, and prepare for the "roller coaster ride of life." Have a great weekend, and enjoy the ride!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think the key is that God is not our co-pilot - he's the pilot. When we give Him the wheel there is no doubt that we'll get to where we're going safely and on time.

Alison G. Altmayer said...

Making right decisions is the hardest part in adult life. Even today, on top of my ....... years I think how life could have been if I hadn´t done certain things... BUT, let´s trust in God, in the education our parents gave us and in our heart and lead our lives the best we can.

ps: I´ve posted something new, Joseph.

Kamsin said...

I personally think that God would have us in the driving seat of our own lives. I'm not sure I can express this clearly right now, I think I may have written a post about it ages ago. But I guess I think that knowing Jesus is all about learning how to drive really well. I don't want to extend the metaphor too far. But I think so many people are driven or controlled by money, or status or whatever or they're like drunk drivers totally out of control. I think Jesus wants us to step up in a mature manner and take responsibility for our actions and that He'll give us the power we need to do this.
I get what Max Lucado is saying and totally agree that Jesus wants to take us on an amazing adventure. Also there are times we have to learn to surrender control, but I think that may be a separate issue.
Anyway, I may just be over thinking this whole driving metaphor!