“When the cares of my heart are many, thy consolations cheer my soul.” –Psalm 94:19
When I was growing up I spent a lot of time on a ranch with one of my best friends. Her family had many acres for us to explore, and beautiful horses to ride. One particular day, I guess we were bored with that, because our second-grade brains decided it was a great idea to take her mom’s car out for a spin (just around the circle drive). My friend had driven farm trucks before, but I had never sat in the driver’s seat of a car alone. I remember that my friend took her turn first, and carefully cruised around the circle drive several times; then it came to my turn to take the wheel. She pulled into the drive way and we swapped seats.
The problem with this situation was that I had to back out. All I knew about driving was that you pushed the gas and you went forward. Well I pushed the gas and we went backward…quickly! Thankfully my foot found the brake before the car found a tree. I remember being so scared, but she wasn’t about to let me quit. She talked me through what I should do and how to gently push on the gas and the brake. By the time we were finished, I felt like a pro. My friend was a pretty good driving instructor! Needless to say, our parents weren’t as impressed!
I learned a lot that day, and not just about driving. When we are frightened, we shouldn’t just give up and walk away. God is always with us, and I know for sure He was in that car with the two of us that day. If we let fear take over instead of doing what He has called us to do, then we aren’t living for Him.
I’m thankful for that day and the memories that we can NOW look back on and laugh about, and the lessons it taught me about facing my fears and never giving up. The road ahead is tough and we must preserver to move forward. Oh, and now that I’m a mom I will also take away the lesson of hiding my keys when I get home!
Taylor Easttom, Director of Children’s Ministries, Edmond Campus
