Driving Lessons

…bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. Colossians 3:13-14

I have a friend who has epilepsy and can’t drive, so not long ago I was helping her son learn to drive. She would ride in the back so we could visit in between times of me saying helpful things like, “Go!” and “Stop!”

All kidding aside, he’s a very good driver. And as we visited along the way, my friend pointed out that a lot of what I was saying about driving could be applied to life.

Besides the technical knowledge, driving is largely about reacting to other drivers. Someone may pull out in front of you, fail to see a stop sign and plow forward, drive the wrong way on a one-way street, or just drive really slowly right in front of you.

So we’ve talked a lot about how you have to pay attention to what others are doing, but what’s more, you have to give them grace. Why? Because, as I told my young driving student, you will make all of those mistakes yourself at some time or another.

If we think of this as a metaphor for church, it’s a good reminder to be patient with one another and not to expect perfection. You think someone is talking more than their fair share in a Bible class? Did a new Christian dress for worship in a way that is not appropriate? Someone suggested an activity that you think is not scriptural? Or did someone suggest that your suggestion is not scriptural? Ouch.

Showing grace is easier when we remember that there have been times that we talked too much or didn’t know any better or expressed disapproval incorrectly.

Everyone does annoying things at times. Everyone has their own opinion. Sometimes people lack knowledge. The Bible tells us how to handle these situations. First and foremost we’re to love each other. “Love covers a multitude of sins,” (1 Peter 4:8). And if someone is lacking knowledge or has sinned, we need to talk to them (Matthew 18:15), “speaking the truth in love,” (Ephesians 4:15).

Furthermore, out in the world we’re supposed to be salt and light. How we react to annoying people, or foolish people, or people we perceive as being uninformed can be the difference in bringing someone to Christ versus turning them off to Christianity for the foreseeable future.

So, just as when driving, we have to learn to react to other people with grace. We must speak the truth in love. And besides that, sometimes grace means not speaking at all (Ecclesiastes 3:7).

Another thing about awareness when driving— you do have to be in the habit of checking your mirrors to see what’s going on beside and behind you. But we don’t just stare into those mirrors, do we? That would be unsafe. The vast majority of the time, our eyes should be on the road in front of us. If we focus too long on what others are doing, or on what’s behind us, we will hinder our own progress, maybe even causing an accident.

And that’s the number one rule of driving. As much as is within your power, don’t cause an accident. Comparing that to our interactions with other people, we might adopt the doctor’s motto: Do no harm. Don’t let your hurt feelings or your pride or even your concern for doctrinal purity lead you to “drive” in a way that causes unnecessary damage to others, to the church, and to the cause of Christ.

Finally, back to my friend who cannot drive: in our spiritual life, we all have times that we need someone to pick us up and carry us where we need to be. We should never make each other feel ashamed or embarrassed to ask for help— for a ride, so to speak. When someone needs a lift, whether literally or figuratively, let our response always be, “Hop in! Let’s go together.” Besides, ultimately Jesus is the One carrying all of us. We wouldn’t get anywhere without Him.

Dear God, help us to bear with one another, and forgive one another, even as Christ forgave us. Help us to put on love, which is the bond of perfection. According to the example of Jesus, help us to show grace in a way that will help others safely reach our heavenly destination, where we long to be, dear God, with You forever. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

Related Reading:

In A World Half-Full Of Negative People

Personality Types — Part 3