Driving with my Daddy

I can remember it. 

I remember climbing into that big old pick up truck and waiting for my daddy to finish working at the tire shop. I remember driving down the only Main Street in my little hometown where all the businesses line up and are eager to greet you with a friendly smile and ask how the kids are doing. I remember driving past that drive-in with the soft ice cream, and the high school track across from Mary Lou's house. We would roll past the old stop sign with the speed limit rising and I anxiously waited in the passenger seat. 

I remember always trying to fiddle with the stereo and failing to get my dad to change it to anything but that awful old time rock he insisted on listening to. And I remember turning on that old farm road, heading towards that house that held the mark of change.

He would stop that old beloved dodge of his, and he would unbuckle his seat belt, scoop me in his arms and sit me in his lap. And this little brown-haired girl with big eyes and a heart full of dreams to the moon got to drive. By far one of my most cherished daddy-daughter moments.

And now as I dive deeper into this relationship with my Heavenly Father, He reminds me of the things my earthy dad already knew. 

It's a corny parallel - I'll be the first to tell you that...But as I spent this last week praying with my team for what The Lord has next, He reminded me of this treasured memory. He showed me how change is coming as sure as the sun sets, and rises in the morning, change is coming. The big type. The kind that make you wonder what in the world is going on and how this next season will look, all while trying to hold onto the precious joy of now. 

In the midst of all the what-ifs and wondering, He reminded me that I just get to sit on his lap and pretend to drive. So like a slap in the face, this control freak was reminded that the control I seek is not mine. 

I don't get to decide how fast (or slow) we go. 

I don't shift gears. 

I don't control the window wipers when the rain comes, or get to roll down the window when I feel the heat of the day. 

I don't know when to turn right or left, but like a good Dad, He never fails to tell me. 

And, perhaps what comforts me the most, is the fact that I know He won't let me run into the ditch. 

Nope, like a good Father, just like my daddy did, He let's me rest in the truth that although He invites me to be part of this journey home, I am not in control. I get to rest and enjoy the ride and wait patiently for the next turn. I get to see the open horizons and talk His ear off about all these dreams and desires I have. And I get to know that the way He leads is always better than the path I think we should take. 

There is such rest in knowing that whatever is next is in the hands of our gracious, soverign Lord and Savior. He reminds me to trust, reminds me to pour out my heart ot him, and to seek refuge in the only One worth running to. 

"Trust in Him at all times, O people;

Pour out your hearts before Him;

God is a refuge for us. 

Selah."

Psalm 62:8