BACKSEAT DRIVERS

Proverbs 16:9
" A man's heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps."

Have you ever had the feeling that you are going the right direction, but you just do not know where you are going to end up? You are not really scared because you are kind of enjoying the scenery along the way. But you just do not have a clear picture of exactly where you are headed.

A few years ago, my wife and I had the pleasure of visiting Cancun, Mexico. While there, we paid a fee to one of those shoreline excursion companies to take us parasailing. Unfortunately, a storm arose and the parasailing company cancelled the trip. When we went back to the beach-side kiosk where we had purchased our tickets to request a refund, we discovered that it was closed for the day. We were told we would have to go to the main office to have our refund issued. However, the main office was about ten miles away and we had no transportation. About that time, a nice young man stepped forward and offered to drive us to the main office and give us a little tour along the way. Though he did not say as much, the implication was that he expected a significant tip for his services.

Feeling we had no other choice, we hopped into this man's car and off we went. We did not know where in the world we were going. Neither of us speaks Spanish. There we were crowded into the back of a small Toyota watching the sites and sounds of Cancun zoom by us. It was definitely a step of faith. Eventually we pulled to a stop in front of a large office building. We made our way into the main office, received our refund, and returned safely to our cruise ship--but not before paying our opportunistic tour guide his well earned tip.

Life is a lot like that exciting Toyota ride in Cancun. Sometimes you feel like you are traveling in the right direction, but you are just not sure exactly where you are headed. "How does this part of the journey fit in to the bigger picture of my life?" you wonder to yourself. Then suddenly your car comes to a stop in front of a large building and you think, "Yeah. This is where I am supposed to be." It takes faith to make it through life because God often calls us to enjoy the ride for a while before it all starts to make sense.

King Solomon understood this principle. He understood that our heart may be wondering and fretting over all of the scenery as we travel through life. But all the while, the LORD is the one driving the car. He is the one that will work everything in our life together to bring us safely to where He wants us to be. So…make your plans. Enjoy the ride. But just remember, in the end God will determine where you are headed. And there is great comfort in knowing that, don't you think?

J.B. Hixson, Th.M.
Associate Pastor
Grace Bible Church of Houston
jb@hixson.org