Steering Required

I drive a mini-van.

Yup, I’m one of those moms.

And recently I bought a new Honda Odyssey with a crazy feature that’s almost like auto-pilot.  At first it freaked me out but now I think it’s the coolest thing in the world.  I simply take my hands off the wheel and watch my car steer itself.  It makes me super happy to let it do all the hard work for me…until about 3 seconds later when the car flashes the sign “Steering Required.”  

How rude, why even add a feature like this if I am not allowed to use it?  I just want to watch a movie or take a nap while I drive, is that so hard to ask?  Apparently we haven’t arrived at that magical day yet, however one day while watching the annoying flashing sign I had a little epiphany.

How many times in life do we take our hands off the wheel and quit trying to steer?  Do we take our eyes off of our destination and give up? Or do we simply need to let God do the steering? 

I have noticed in my own life that there are times when the simple act of trying to put one foot in front of the other is impossible.  When even the daily tasks that would normally be manageable now seem insurmountable. When these life moments hit I find that the only way through is to let go of the wheel and pray for my Savior to take over.  

Unlike my predictable mini-van He won’t send any signals telling me that I can’t rely on Him that way I need too.  He doesn’t ask me to put my hands back on the wheel, until I’m good and ready.  He is patient with my struggles and understands where I’ve been and where I am going.  He wants me to reach my final destination, my end goal of returning to live with Him.  So, from time to time, He steers for me. 

Let us not be so quick to rely on ourselves and our own abilities.  Sometimes we need to do as the familiar saying goes…”let go and let God.”  He will guide us, sustain us and always (if we let him) steer us through this often difficult journey to find our way home to Him. 

Photo by Blake Barlow on Unsplash