The ‘Throttle and Wheel’ man!

In 2005 country singer Carrie Underwood released the song “Jesus Take The Wheel.”  It was the story of a young mother going through difficult times and her Christmas Eve drive to Cincinnati with her baby asleep in its car seat. As she hits black ice and loses control of the car, she releases the steering wheel and relinquishes control of her life and car to Jesus.

It has a good ending.

But I’ve discovered that Jesus needs control of the gas pedal, too. Both direction and speed are important elements to put under his control.

This Spring I had my nephew’s young son Victor in front of me on a ATV (quad) for a ride in the woods. At age seven, he was becoming a man of the world. He wanted both the handlebars and the throttle under his control. But I found that having even one of them totally under his control could have been bad for our health and any plans we had for a long-term future.

So I manipulated the throttle as he steered … until a large rock loomed ahead on the trail. Or he handled the throttle as I attempted to steer over uneven terrain while the velocity kept approaching take-off speed.

It’s the same way for us spiritually. God deserves control over both speed and direction in our lives. Many don’t seem to realize that without a destination, speed becomes meaningless. We must be going the right direction. And once pointed right, that does us little good if we sit motionless.

It’s tricky business keeping us safely on life’s uneven, potentially dangerous road of life.  I may feel confident about my ability, but have learned that only One can get me where I want to be.

This week, I must add to the label of Carrie Underwood’s well-awarded song. For me, it now reads: Jesus take the wheel, and the gas pedal, and the brakes, and the turn signals and …. you get the picture.

Be blessed with joy on your journey!