“Therefore prepare your minds for action;[c] discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed.” -1 Peter 1:13
I was so excited and so fascinated to learn how to drive. It meant freedom. I no longer needed to depend on my parents to drive me places. I could come and go as I needed. I would wear my mother out asking to drive her car all the time. She would finally break down and let me drive down a straight road with no hills or curves. I understand why, now.
Learning to drive was a challenge, and I sure do like a challenge. Soon my mom’s selection of roads was less-than-challenging to me. So, my dad had an Isuzu Impulse. A what, you ask? A 1990 Isuzu Impulse with the “handling by Lotus” package. It was a stick shift and when I was 15, with a learner’s permit, he let me drive to the store. I thought I was so cool. I drove perfectly through my winding neighborhood. It wasn’t until we got out on the street, where there were more experienced drivers, that I got a little intimidated. I was coming up to a stop sign, but there were probably ten to fifteen cars in front of me. When I got up closer to the stop sign I realized I was on a huge incline. As you probably guessed, I stalled the car. I probably stalled it 10 times. I could not get that darn car started. I was so embarrassed. All I could think about was how cool I wasn’t!
When I finally could restart the car, my dad motioned for me to pull into a parking lot to calm my nerves. We just sat there for a couple of minutes until he finally spoke. He talked to me about trial and error and how it’s alright to fail at something the first time. I also got the “practice makes perfect” speech, but it stuck with me all these years. I was petrified. I did not want to drive that wannabe Lotus car again! I was too afraid of failing again.
I was in such a rush to have freedom that I forgot about the importance of taking the time to learn.
So often, we’re in a race to get on down the road. We try to speed life along when we should be patient, practice, study and learn. When we take time, slow down and prepare, it makes the journey ahead so much better. What are you doing today to train for the journey ahead?
Jamie Williamson, Director of Administration, Edmond Campus
