Backseat Driver

My son, Barry, is a Hope College student. As with most college students, he looks for ways to save money to help pay for tuition. One way he does this is by keeping his Grand Prix in storage during the academic year. His lack of transportation affords us the occasional opportunity to be in the car together, grabbing lunch or running errands. On these occasions, he occupies the passenger seat while I drive. While I am by no means a perfect driver, I am usually gracious and think I'm fairly intelligent in my driving ability. Despite my experience, Barry usually chimes in on lane choices, best route directions and speed, or lack thereof. We often joke about his extraordinary talent as a "backseat" driver.

Most folks I know have a tendency to desire control during travel. Even though we may know our destination, and be in the hands of a dependable driver, we need to have some say, or input, into the way and direction of the ride. The desire for control also extends beyond travel. We want control over most of our experiences. Work. Family. Daily routine. Life.

Over the last few days, I have been praying for direction. This week, I was asked to step into a mentoring role. While I know that I am ill-equipped for the role of mentor, past experience has shown me that God provides just what I need, when I need it, if I step out in faith, listening and following his lead. So as I prayed. I asked God what my response should be. Yes? No? As I prayed, I felt God asking me to dig into the Scripture for my response. So I prayed, "Where should I turn?" The answer was Matthew 16 and Ephesians 4.

I don't always hear such a clear response to prayer. So with excitement, I pulled out my copy of The Message and turned to Matthew 16. I laughed aloud as I saw the title of the last section. "You're Not in the Driver's Seat."  Message received. I need to relinquish control. Part of the passage reads as follows:

"Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am."

And in case I was confused about whether I was paying attention to the right part of the passage, I turned to Ephesians 4. Bingo!

"...I want you to get out there and walk-better yet, run! - on the road God called you to travel. I don't want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don't want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline-not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love..."

And then, "You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly."

Two passages that clearly talk about navigating the road of life. Two passages that tell me God is in control. And clearly, from Ephesians, the call to get moving, with humility, on the path he has called me take.I don't always get it right, but God patiently reminds me, over and over and over again, that he is in control. He is in the driver's seat. I am in the reliable, dependable hands of the driver of my life. He has the route laid out in front of me. I just need to relinquish control.

No backseat driving. Easier said then done.