My five-year-old son squealed in delight as the bumper cars lurched forward. The ride had just begun and all the cars were whirling around in all different directions. It was only seconds before the first car came rudely smashing into us from behind, giving us both a solid jolt. My son had the wheel and was furiously spinning it in each direction, causing our car to veer from left to right. While we were in constant motion, we were making little forward progress. This left us sitting ducks. Over the course of the next minute we were pummeled by every other car in the ride, to great satisfaction of their drivers. My son’s demeanor increasingly changed from delight to frustration with every jerk and jolt. Finally he let go of the wheel and screamed for me to drive. For the remainder of the ride, I was able to weave around all the bloodthirsty villains and even inflict a little damage of my own. The smile returned to my son’s face.

When we try and take the steering wheel of our lives, we often end up like my son’s bumper car ride. While we may be in constant motion, we usually end up going nowhere and experiencing many unexpected jerks and jolts. This leaves us hunkered-down bracing for the next blow, instead of living life filled with optimism and confidence. We can all learn a lot from my son. Instead of trying to steer our lives all on our own, we need to turn the steering wheel over to our heavenly Father. He will always guide us through life’s difficulties and help push the demons out of our path. 

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your kind spirit guide me on ground that is level. – Psalm 144:10

Originally posted 2014-08-07 06:00:15.