Part of my parents’ summer
agenda included vacations which my brother and I always looked forward to.
Since my dad with his business partner owned and operated a grocery store in
our small, Western Kansas community, they each scheduled for themselves a one
week vacation which in our case meant a trip to Colorado and the Rocky
Mountains.
Our family loved going to the Rockies. Each vacation Mom and Dad would plan
different places for us to visit there, and every year seemed better than the
last. We never came home
disappointed. However, there was one
part of our trips that did frighten me as a youngster --- those hairpin curves
as we drove through the mountain passes.
In the 50s, there were only two-lane highways and not much extra space
on either side of the roads. At times,
my heart would jump as I glanced out the window to a steep incline below. Fortunately, my dad was a very careful
driver, but that didn’t stop me from expressing my concern. In fact, I admit I was a backseat driver.
As I reminisce, I don’t know how my dad endured my
continual directions. Leaning directly
behind him on the edge of the backseat (no seat belts in the 50s either), I
would say, “Curve, Dad, fifteen miles an hour, Dad,” and on and on. He never responded angrily or told me to be
quiet, but Mom did. J So I would sit back, try to relax, and return
to watching the landscape through the windows.
Eventually, I learned to let go of my fear of the curves and trust my
dad’s driving abilities. After all, he
was in complete control without my help.
Now, today, I need to follow my childhood’s pattern of
letting go of my fears and trusting my Dad, my Heavenly Father, to safely drive
me through the curves of life. Like my
earthly father, my Heavenly Father doesn’t need my backseat driving. He knows
what curves lie ahead of me in my life’s journey, but He has given me a choice:
to trust Him to handle the roads ahead or to sit on the edge of the seat and
give directions. As my dad would gently
say, “It’s okay, Vicki,” while keeping his eyes on the road ahead, so my
Heavenly Father gently nudges me and says, “It’s okay, Vicki; lean back and
trust me.” This I must do daily!
Thank you, Father, for being a patient “DAD”!!
“Trust in the LORD with
all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways
acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Prov. 3:5-6
