We were in route, and it was raining. Not just a sprinkle here and there . . . it was pouring. You know, the kind of rain where you can barely see the road in front of you. That kind of rain. I hate driving in the rain . . . it literally gives me anxiety, and I have my reasons, but I’ll just save that story for a later date.
My daughter and I were on our way to her new school for her Middle School orientation and boy was she excited! I would periodically glance at her in the passenger seat and see her smiling from ear to ear as she scrolled through DIY projects on Pinterest.
But I was driving in the rain.
As I hit the occasional water puddles, and those slick spots that can cause your car to briefly glide or hydroplane, my heart would jump and my hands would clench the steering wheel a bit tighter. I remember thinking to myself, “Lord, mind easing up on the rain a bit until we make it there?” What’s funny is that as soon as that thought popped into my mind, I had the notion to look over at my daughter again. I wanted to see if she was just as uneasy and nervous as I was. If she was clinching her seat, or biting her lip. As I looked out of the corner of my eye, there she sat . . . head down . . . still on Pinterest with that big giddy grin still on her face.
Unfazed.
Unmoved.
Comfortable.
It occurred to me that she felt safe because she knew I was qualified to drive our car; that I was capable of safely operating a vehicle. So even though she felt the occasional interruptions while I was driving, she had no reason to fear because she trusted me. She had faith in my capabilities and that was enough to make her fearless while we drove in the rainstorm.
If I can be honest, I’m in a season of uncomfortable circumstances, and instead of allowing God to walk with me through them, I’ve been fighting with Him. Instead of placing complete faith in Him and His capabilities, I’ve been relying on my own methods to “make it.” Clinching to the steering wheel trying to navigate my own plan when everything I need is in Him.
He’s fully capable of handling all of my messes, calming my fears, and providing everything that I need to navigate through our earthly storms, but He can’t act on my behalf until I loosen my grip and allow Him to have complete reign over it all.
Such a simple, yet timely message He decided to share with me while we drove in the rain.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, ” declares the Lord.” As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. // Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)
Until next time friend,
Abisha
