Driving Lessons

My daughter recently turned 5 years old. Since then, she has really felt like she is older and can do more things. She just loves helping her dad work outside and in his shop. The weather around here has been absolutely gorgeous lately, and last weekend we went out to help tear down an old fence. Once we got the panels and fence posts taken down, my husband went to go get his little tractor to load them up to haul them over to the place he was stacking them. Of course, my girls wanted to help him because they love riding on the tractor.

                On their way back with the tractor, my husband did something that a lot of daddies do, he let my oldest daughter steer as he was driving. She was so excited, this wasn’t the first time she has steered, but it was the longest amount of time. When she got off she told me that she just got done with her driving lessons and that she knows how to drive now. In the days since, she has told me several times about knowing how to drive and has even started giving me instructions about watching where I’m going when I am driving.

                I started thinking about her driving skills yesterday. It occurred to me that so many of us look at our own lives the same way that she was looking at her knowledge of driving. We think we are in ultimate control of our lives and are “driving”, when really everything we have been given is a blessing. Just like I know, as a parent, that she does not really know how to drive, God knows that regardless of how “in control” we may think we are, ultimately, He is the one in control. Now, that is not to say that He doesn’t give us free will and reign in certain areas of our lives. It does mean, however, that we are just like that little 5-year-old, we may be making those small decisions and slight turns of the wheel, but when we are about to run into a fencepost, God will grab that wheel and course correct if needed. “We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.” Proverbs 16:9

                These course corrections may not be easy, but they will always be beneficial. They will also never be contrary to the Bible (so don’t think God is calling you to cheat on your spouse or steal from your employer). Jonah had a course correction in the form of a giant storm, and ended up smelling like fish guts (see Jonah Chapter 1). The Israelites had a course correction in the form of wandering around for 40 years because of their poor decision making skills and lack of trust (see the whole book of Exodus). I had my own course correction, in 2009 when I was laid off from a job I loved. As tough as they are to go through (and I still haven’t learned to love going through course corrections, sometimes I downright hate it), they are always for our benefit. Even in my own situation, I can look back now and see that God was taking me in a different direction for my benefit.