Who’s in the Driver’s Seat

A couple weeks ago, my oldest son asked why his dad always gets to make the final decision if he and I are equals in our marriage. My simple answer was a quick, ‘because he is the head of our family and someone has to make a final decision when we cannot agree.’But a few days later the Lord showed me a good visual example of the correct answer. He showed me our family is like a car, and someone has to be the driver steering our lives. Have you ever noticed that in any type of vehicle, there can only be one primary driver. Even in cars that have more than one steering wheel, such as a driver’s education car, only one person can control the path of the car at any given moment. If more than one person tries to steer and control the car, an accident can happen, or at the very least the car goes off the correct path.

Our life is like a car, the question is “who is controlling the path” of your life? Who is sitting in the driver’s seat of your life? As Christians, our answer to this question should be, “my Lord Jesus Christ is in control.” Some may quickly give that answer to the question, without any thought of what it truly means…But how many can give that answer willingly, honestly, and whole heartedly with an understanding of the surrender and sacrifice that must come along with it? How many Christians can truly say the Lord is in full control of their life, that they would willingly lay down all of their wants and desires to follow the path the Lord sets before them…no matter where that path may lead them?

When we lay our lives down at His feet, fully surrendered and willing to go where He sends us, we are not to become simple passengers in the backseat of our life, just going along for the ride. We are to use the wisdom and knowledge the Lord gives us daily to navigate [plan] the course He lays before us, following His direction for our steps.

 

A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps. –Proverbs 16:9 (NKJV)

 

Although we may plan our way [life], we never know where the Lord is leading us until we arrive at our destination. Quite often we would never choose the steps He lays out before us if we knew what the path looked like before we took it. His steps will take us down the less traveled, rocky and narrow path, one that may be hard and even painful at times. But when we come out on the other side, we are stronger and wiser.

I recently heard someone say that we live our life looking forward, but we understand our life looking backward. How true this is…When we are on the dark, rocky, and less traveled road we are unable to see the changes in our life and the lives of those around us that is happening. But when we emerge from the darkness and look back, we can see the Lord’s hand guiding our every step, maybe even carrying us during the hardest times. It is when we look back on these “hard times” that we can gain wisdom and understanding, this is when we grow in our faith and trust in the Lord…This is when we are able to surrender another piece of our life to Him, allowing Him to “take the wheel”.

Who’s in your driver’s seat?

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