Backseat Drivers

Instead of putting him on the bus, I decided to take my oldest son to school today. At one point, I looked in the rearview mirror at my boys (my other son is 3) sitting in the backseat...and that's when this thought hit me:

I hate backseat drivers!

If you've been driving long enough, you've had a least one passenger in the car with you who felt it was their responsibility to alert you of every perceived danger on the road, constantly check your speedometer, and point out every time you failed to use a turn signal. And to top it all off, they have assigned themselves to the task of using the imaginary brake pedal located on the floor mat immediately in front of them. It's so annoying! If you couple any (or all) of these together with the gasping, squealing, and "look out! look out!" sounds that seem to flow like mighty rivers out of the offender's pie hole, it's enough to make you want to drive the car off of a cliff!

So, what does this have to do with my boys in the backseat? Did they aggravate me today with their backseat driving? No. In fact, it was their lack of backseat driving that started this train of thought.

My oldest son is 8. Every now and then he will remind the driver about turn signal usage, and I caught him one time trying to see the speedometer, "just to make sure daddy was doing the right thing." Mildly irritating, but not bad. There are other passengers much older than 8, and that experience is...well...um...let's just say it's the polar opposite. To prevent my own demise, I will leave well enough alone.

And then there's my 3 year-old. He's strapped in his car seat, safe and secure. He has a few toys to keep him entertained, a juice cup to quench any thirst, and depending on how long the trip will be, there are snacks, too. He spends most of his time playing, talking with the other passengers in the car, and watching all of the scenery that goes by. Sometimes he'll point out things he sees to the rest of us, but for the most part, he's simply enjoying the ride and looking forward to the destination. He has total trust in his dad driving the car. No fear. No panic. No backseat driving.

As I thought about the journey on which God has placed me, I couldn't help but realize I more often resemble the older passengers in the car when I should be following the example of my youngest son. If God really is in the driver's seat in my life, then I don't need to freak out about all of the things I perceive as potential hazards, I don't need to check and see if He's doing everything correctly, I don't need to offer my assistance, and I sure don't need to tell Him to "look out!" Instead of being a backseat driver, I need to have the child-like faith that my precious 3 year-old exhibits so well:

• I am safe, secure, and can totally trust Him (Psalm 91:2; Prov. 3:5-6).
• He will supply everything for the journey (Matt. 6:25-34; Phil. 4:19).
• He has a great destination in mind (Jer. 29:11; Eph. 2:10).
• I should appreciate the scenery and enjoy the journey (Psalm 118:24).