Driving Ms. Lisa
For some unknown reason, we were talked into doing the parent taught driver’s course with my son. Now, every morning when my youngest goes to school, I am a passenger in the car and have taken the verse, “Pray without ceasing” to a new level!
Periodically, my son will look over at me and ask why I am bracing myself. I reply, “I’m not bracing myself. Why do you think that?” Then I look down and see my fingers making deep imprints into the arm rest.
Backseat driving moved to the front seat in our car. In the twenty minute drive to school, my sixteen-year-old hears, “Slow down!” “Aren’t you too close to the curb?” “Watch that car!” Yesterday, my youngest failed to brake for an elevated railroad track and when I suggested strongly that he should lower his speed, he asked, “Why?” At that point, the car bottomed out and my head almost hit the roof. A verbal explanation wasn’t needed.
When my son drives, I am not in control of the vehicle.
Isn’t control something we crave in our lives? If people don’t act the way we’d like, we think our words will somehow change their behavior. If the plan we came up with for our life isn’t going according to script, we worry and become anxious rather than accept God’s plan. When someone chooses to walk out of our world, we hold onto them with a death grip, literally and mentally. We don’t like losing control!
Years ago, there was an iced tea commercial that invited us to “Take the Nestea® plunge!” The specific one I recall featured people with a glass of tea in their hands happily falling back, unworried into a swimming pool. In the same way, God wants us to live our lives, falling back, stress-free into his arms. Call it the God plunge!
Isaiah 41:10 encourages us, So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. God’s hand is always there to catch us!
I know that one day my son’s driving will improve and I need to relax because of that. In the same way, no matter what situation we are in right now, we have to trust that God has our best interests in mind and relinquish the control to him.