JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL...OH REALLY?

“…In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.”

You remember "Jesus take the wheel" by Carrie Underwood? Yeah. It's a really pretty song. But then I started to wonder if I could rewrite it. If I did, it would go along the lines of

"Jesus take the wheeeel!
Take it from my hands
While I give you instructions
I'm not really letting go
Give me hundred more chances
Save me from this road I'm on...
Jesus take the wheel... "

Okay so I admit it will not be a very pretty song. But it'll be pretty accurate. At least for me. I would sing it at the top of my lungs, unmindful of musical murder. Why? Because that is my confession.

Alright, so you were finally able to convince your Mum, after several months of shameless persistence to allow you drive. She gives that exasperated sigh of one who is left with no more choice while she haltingly hands you the keys. So, off you go, taking possession of the wheels with your Mum sitting beside you while she allows you drive.

Yayy!

But you've barely gone several meters before she's twisting in her seat, barking instructions at you:

"Watch that pothole!”
“Swerve to the right"
"Not so fast!"

And naturally you want to remind her you’re not blind. Because, you see, you are at the wheels, but you’re not really driving. She is.

Reminds me of me.

I have been at the wheel of my life for so long that I almost forgot how to relinquish control, but it doesn’t take me too long to realize that I suck as a driver and here is Jesus, offering to take control of the wheels. After a lot of hesitation, I decided that maybe surrender isn’t so bad. It’s even a command. So, I hand him the keys and scoot to the passenger seat.

He is at the wheels and I would like to say I have fully surrendered all. Maybe I have.

Or not.

"Lord, do you think you could umm...hit the gas? You are going a little too slow"
"Lord, this is not the road. It's too rough. We should've followed the highway. "
"Lord, watch that pothole.”
“Lord, I’m not sure I could do that.”

We say we have surrendered. Yet there are still parts of our lives we would like to protect and explain away on grounds of temperament, background and so on. Parts of our lives we would like to own. Control is a human thing. It’s something we never want to lose. We all want to feel some level of control in our lives. We hate being helpless. Yet, God demands this of us. He demands full consecration. He demands full surrender.

He demands ALL of you.

“Simply put, if you’re not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can’t be my disciple.” (Jesus, Luke 14:33_The Message).

God doesn’t demand much of us but that we give Him our all. He deserves it because he gave us his all. He desires that we rest back in our seats and allow him drive. Simply put, follow him.

But how can you surrender to someone you do not trust? How can you fully surrender when your surrender stops short of the “I suck as a driver” realization? How can total surrender come when our motives are not fully aimed at God alone? How can we surrender to a God we feel will whip us the minute our hands are up?

How can we surrender when we are not aching to see His glory but ours?

The truth is, we cannot. Total surrender is born, not of a mere realization that God can do it better. But is born of wanting all of God as much as he wants all of us. Trusting. Letting go. Aching for him so much that we let the reins slip easily off our fingers because we realize we cannot hold all of Him – his might, love, power – and still hold on to our control.

It just doesn’t work.

It is harder than it sounds. But why not start where you are? Begin by not giving him instructions then work your way, with every step of grace, to that place of full surrender.

So, I would again have to rewrite the song…then I’ll have something like this;

"Jesus take the wheeeel!
Take it from my hands
And put a tape duct on my mouth
I'm now letting
I’ll give you full control
Save me from this road I'm on...
Jesus take the wheel... "

Sigh. Okay, yes. It will still suck as a song. But it’ll be pretty accurate.

And it will be my confession.

Side note:
I'm recruiting back up singers for my own version of "Jesus take the wheel" (The latter one now).
So, what do you say? You in?

Photo credit: via Lightstock

LORD, ARE YOU FOR REAL?

 Is Christianity real? 

Life is full of questions. Heaps of ‘em. Throughout the Bible, we see curious people. People like Abraham, who dared voice their uncertainties. And because of this, we get answers to questions we sometimes are not aware existed, jumping at us from the pages of God’s word. The disciples are very good examples of curious Toms, they always asked questions. Almost every time they showed up, they were asking questions. Granted some of those questions seemed silly – in hindsight, since we would have asked worse – and sometimes even got some chiding from Jesus which was almost laughable (almost?), but their questions, as well as others’, allowed us the grace to see more into the person of Jesus and have answers to our silent questions.

Sometimes when I read my Bible and I see the depths and lengths people went with God, I start to wonder, “Is this for real? Are these people human? How can someone trust and believe God so much as to still the sun? Or part the sea? Or wait on him for forty days and nights without food or drink? Or brave a boiling cauldron for his name sake? Is it real?” And when I get in this mode, I get scared. How DARE I question God’s holy word?

But like me, I know many of you have gotten to that point where you risk to ask. Of course, rocks forbid it if you dare voice it out so brazenly, like I just did. No, it’s more like a wisp of a whisper on the far outskirts of your very subconscious mind. So, that is why I’m here; to give that fighting whisper a voice and make you ask the questions you’re scared to admit you have. At your service *takes curtsy*.

Back to the question. Is Christianity real? I don’t mean the kind of Christianity you fill up on your legal forms. Or the one where you to doll up in your Sunday bests. Nope. I’m talking about the kind described in Hebrews 11. The kind that was displayed and described by Jesus for 33years or so. The kind that made men and women lay up their lives. The one which requires one hundred percent holiness. The rough, narrow path. Yeah, that one. Is it real? Now, I’m very aware that you wouldn’t ever dare to ask such. But then again, you’re not the one asking right?

Those times when you rise and fall so hard you’re sure you bear bruises to tell of your erratic, feeble steps. Those times when you’re so weak and worn you feel you can’t fight anymore. Just want to give up. Those times when the frustration of your in capabilities squeezes your throat so firmly that you’re forced to let out the words; “What is wrong with me? Why can’t I get it right? Why can’t I just do what God wants?” and before you know it, you start to rationalize that after all you HAVE tried. Really tried. Really REALLYY tried. So, the problem couldn’t possibly be you. You think, “It’s a sham! God really wants us all to go to hell. If not then why would he set such high standards? Maybe he just needed a good excuse to do so.” And I honestly make an outraged gasp on your behalf. I mean you would NEVER say something like that. Right? But you would be shocked in just how many ways you silently scream these questions.

However, before you take a panic attack from my many blasphemies, let’s look at the Bible;

 “When the disciples heard this, they were utterly puzzled [astonished, bewildered], saying “Who then can be saved [from eternal death]?” But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men this is impossible, but all things are possible with God”. (Matthew 19:25-26. AMP).

How is this possible? Is this real? I hope you realize by now that the disciples did NOT get scolded for that question. No, they got a very perfect, very famous answer. With men (you) it is impossible. Unreal. But with God not just that, but ALL things are possible. And real.

I know this is all sounding fine and dandy right now and when you get out there, you find yourself in the world where you don’t belong, trying, REALLY trying to live. But it gets hard. All your good intentions turn to pulp under the weight of the world. Trust me, I know. Jesus didn’t say it would be easy. It’s hard. But it’s simple.

Christianity is REAL. It is life. As real as the air you breathe. You don’t see it (air). You don’t know whether it contains some gooey green bugs. But you believe there is life in it. So you breathe. Not consciously, because it’s a part of you. You don’t think about it. You don’t try so hard. You just breathe in the invisible air.  Christianity is as simple as that. God made it all so simple that we tend to complicate it in our vain wisdom thinking, “No, c’mon, it has to be more complex.” (We’ll talk about our tendencies towards complications later). No, it’s simple. It’s the simplicity that makes it so hard.

Breathe! You are alive. Jesus gave YOU – yes you! – life. God’s VERY life is inside of you. Live it. Live HIM. And with Him ALL things are possible. Breathe. No, there are no other sides to it. That’s it. Take it that way in childlike faith (another long post). Don’t question it. If you’re born again, then yes Christianity is REAL. Just about as real as the God of possibilities. The one who gave His OWN life for YOU. More real than your struggles. More real than the things that grapple for your soul. More real than your skin. And infinitely more possible. WITH God. Don’t forget the with. <<-- *Ha!*

So when next you want to ask if Christianity is real, remember to BREATHE!

Side note: I honestly don’t have answers to your questions. I just want to encourage you to go to Him who can answer them all. Don’t worry, you haven’t sinned if you ask. For God to say His people perish for lack of understanding, means he expects us to ask questions. Now, I said ask. Not doubt. There's a huge difference between asking God questions and questioning Him.

So, what questions have you been asking?