In my Father's house are many mansions: If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. John 14:2

When I suggested this topic to my 16-year-old daughter, she nearly fell out of the car laughing. To my chagrin, she said that this was the silliest thing she had ever heard. But I had been thinking about it for a long time and wondered just what He would do in some of the situations you and I face on the road today.

Each morning, I leave home at 6:30 a.m. for 10-mile drive to my job across an interstate bridge. Now one would think that 10 miles would be quick and easy, (and sometimes it is surprisingly short,) but there have been times when it has taken 90 minutes to complete the trip. I have watched as other drivers cut in front of each other without signaling or just plain drive along with a signal light on and butt in. Hand signals of both types—the not so nice kind and the ones that are a wave to say, "Thank you!"—are frequently seen. I have seen accidents, people at some intersections doing u-turns, turning without signals and nearly causing an accident or cutting it so close as to cause the sudden leap of one’s heart to one’s throat.

So I began to wonder, "How would Jesus drive?" Would He allow everyone to cut in front of Him? Would He always yield the right of way? Would He stop and help someone? Would He break the speed limit? How would He drive, and how does that guide the way you and I drive?

They may not have had cars back then, but they still had to travel whether on foot, by horse, donkey or camel, or by boat. Jesus did a lot of traveling, by foot, by boat and on a donkey. You can guess it wasn’t nearly as luxurious as it is now. He didn’t have a CD player with the latest worship music or a cassette player for the most recent teaching tapes. He didn’t have air-conditioning, or the luxury of a drive through for a quick meal when He was hungry. Neither did He have rest stops with bathrooms, water, coffee, or just a place to pull off the road and use His cell phone. Motel 6 just wasn’t available for a cool swim and a good night’s rest.

His travels weren’t carefully laid out with the help of AAA but with the direction of the Holy Spirit. His seatbelt was the knowledge of His Father’s Will and He stayed securely within it. He repeatedly "yielded the right of way" which in fact, were His rights as God to reign and be served on the earth. He didn’t make any u-turns and head back to heaven because of the conditions in which He lived or the horrors He encountered but instead continued on the journey to fulfill His purpose and arrive at the appointed destination: His Death, Burial, and Resurrection.

The Scriptures are full of the actions Jesus took as He traveled. In Luke 9:50 it says, "Jesus stopped…" and in Matthew 9:22, Jesus turned…Again in Matthew 16:23 "Jesus turned..." He paused in His travel and rested. Not once did He need to consult a map, instead He stopped and prayed to get further directions.

Never once was Jesus disobedient to his Father. He didn’t disobey any of signs that warned, "Do Not Enter," or "No Left Turn." He traveled in complete submission, and waited obediently over 30 years to begin His public ministry.

Are we that patient? When we take over as the "drivers" of our lives, do we obey the signs that warn us, "Slippery When Wet" or "Winding Road?" Do we get impatient and cut in front of God then speed off well above the posted limit, only to end in a disastrous crash? Do we yank that wheel out of His Hands and whip a uuey to head another direction because we don’t like the direction He is going? When the Holy Spirit stops us, do we graciously accept the ticket, admit we were wrong, pay the fine and obey the rules as we again allow God to drive? Or do we murmur and grumble as we grudgingly get back into the car?

The rules of driving are easily applicable to our lives and truly run parallel to the Christian life. If we read the "driver’s manual," God’s Word, memorize it, then plant it in our hearts, we would know the "rules" and have the directions to drive well. If we study it and learn the do’s and don’ts, where to stop, what the posted speed limits are, we will be safe and not have to endure the punishments for disobeying the laws. We won’t get the tickets, pay the fines or see the increases in the insurance bills—or the consequences of our behavior.

As we drive through life, we can then pass police cars without fear. We don’t feel our hearts drop when we see that officer clocking the cars rushing by. In the same way, we can go to church, hear the teaching, and not be afraid of feeling condemnation. When we spend time in the Word, we don’t need to feel frightened that we will only see all bad things about ourselves, but we will see that God loves us even though He knew the bad stuff before we were thought of and born. Because we have studied the "manual" and observed the rules and regulations set in place by the His Loving Authority, we can be in peace.

By being careful not to get in the way of God, displacing Him from the driver’s seat, then breaking the speed limit to get to the next destination before His time, we don’t cause disasters in our lives. When we are willing to leave the driving to Him, the result is much better, more peaceful, more enjoyable and ultimately we arrive where we are supposed to—right on time. Oh, we may encounter heavy rainstorms with thunder, or snow and ice as we drive. We might have a fender bender, or the car might breakdown taking us off the road for a while. But we can depend on the fact that God is in complete control and relax in Him.

Finally, just as Jesus did, we know the ultimate destination and when we pull into that golden driveway in Heaven, we’ll sigh with relief and know that we have truly arrived our glorious destination—Home.

So instead of trying to drive there all by yourself and following your own rules, leave the driving to Him. See you there!

Copyright 2005 by Desiree Marrion

Desirée Marrion is a member of Eastside Foursquare Church. She is a single mom, a grandmother, and an administrative assistant at a medical research facility. You may reach her at: marrion8955@yahoo.com