Drivers and Passengers

"Whatever you have learned or received from me, or seen in me - put it into practice.

Annd the God of peace will be with you."  Philippians 4:9

This past week, I began teaching a leadership series at work.  The first chapter was dedicated to Drivers and Passengers.  It reviewed when we are the associate, we play the role of passenger.  Many times, as the associate we can do things that we can't do as leaders (drivers).  As an associate, we may occassionally be able to get away with coming in late, spending a few extra minutes at lunch, have a bad day, etc.  As a leader/driver, we need to be more responsible, our time is not our own, and we need to try and have very minimal bad days.

The analogy came from the driver/passenger in a car.  As a passenger, you may be able to get away with texting, talking on the phone, playing the music a bit louder, or generally have fun (as we see in the picture).  A driver needs to be more responsible, is not able to text, needs to pay attention to the road, and may not necessarily have as much "fun" as the passengers.  After class, my thoughts jumped to our lives as Christians, and the difference between being a passenger or driver with Christ.

As a passenger Christian, I see the role as being one of "going along for the ride".  Yes, you may occasionally go to worship, say a prayer or two during the week, etc.  You may very well believe in Jesus as our Savior, but some of the activities associated with being a Christian may not be activities you want to participate in.  As a passenger Christian, we may want to rely on the help or assistance of others to drive us through our Christian journey.  As with any passenger, this certainly isn't a bad thing. Having faith in our Lord is of crucial importance.  Yet, let's  look at someone who my be driving their own journey with Christ.

The driving Christian may seek out opportunities to engage in furthering their relationship with Jesus.  What does this look like?  Perhaps you see if there is a local Bible study you can join (or even lead); is there a service opportunity you may enjoy participating in; how about a daily devotional to get your morning going; does someone need your assistance during a difficult time; is the church council, church choir, Sunday school staff in need of a new member; do you have a friend who is struggling and needs your prayers - yes the list can go on and on.  Does being a driving Christian take time from our days?  It certainly does.  Does being a driving Christian mean that certain days your time is not your own?  Possibly.  Yet, what it does bring us is the joy of seeing our Lord in an entirely new light - one that blesses our lives so much greater than anything we can do ourselves.

Why is that?  Because we get closer to our Lord with each moment we share with Him.  When we fill our days with Jesus, we see the glory of Jesus in everything that we experience.  We drive down the path that HE wants us to have - not a path that someone else is driving for us.  It could be the path that we need right at that time.  Have I always been a driver of my faith?  Not always.  There have been times in my life when I wasn't able to drive - for many different reasons.  The good news is when we can't drive, there are drivers out there to help us - to drive for us - and help us to get back into the driver seat.  I am blessed to know many of those wonderful drivers and give thanks to them.

Spend some time deciding whether you are a passenger or driver in your faith.  If you are a passenger, maybe there is something you can do to get into the driver's seat and gain that closer relationship to our Heavenly Father.

"Dearest Lord, help us to drive the faithful journey you have laid down for us.  May we take the steering wheel and drive towards a closer relationship with you.  And when our lives take us towards the role of passenger, may you put drivers in our paths to help us along the way."