Where did you get your driver’s license?

To the outside world we all grow old.  But not to brothers and sisters.  We know each other as we always were.  We know each other's hearts.  We share private family jokes.  We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys.  We live outside the touch of time.  ~Clara Ortega

When we were younger my grandparents had a camp on the river that we would go to in the summer.   At the time I was fairly new to driving and my brother, sister and I decided we were going to leave the camp to go home.  I don’t know or remember how it was decided that I would be the one to drive. 

The car we had at the time was a Toyota station wagon and I must point out here that it was a stick shift.  If you have ever driven a stick shift, it is a little complicated, especially when you are fairly new at driving one.  You know how you have to push in the clutch to change gears, press on the gas slowly as you let out the clutch.  If you let out the clutch too fast the car will lunge jerkily forward.  When you get really good at it you don’t even notice the changing of gears.  I am thinking that I wasn’t very good at it yet, my memory is sort of vague on these details, but I am guessing my gear change wasn’t very smooth.

Immediately following the less than stellar gear change, my brother or sister, don’t remember which, piped up and said, “Where did you get your license, a mail order catalog?” 

I have always been the quiet one in the family and this time was no different.  I pulled to a stop, (I did have that part down), put the car in neutral, pulled the emergency brake, opened the door and started walking down the dirt road back to the camp.  I just left them sitting in the car.

I can only imagine the looks on my brother and sister’s faces.  They started calling at me to get back in the car, but I just kept right on walking never looking back.

My Christian life has followed along this same path.  In 2007 I rededicated my life to Christ.  I finally realized what my purpose on this earth is and I have never looked back.  Since that time I have had someone tell me that my heart was not right with God and until it was, they did not want to receive my devotionals anymore. 

Honestly, I think I am a work in progress just like any other Christian.  I am a sinner, I freely admit it, and I often make mistakes.  The reality is we are all sinners and God placed us here together to help each other.  If we all waited until we were perfect, there would be no one going to heaven and Jesus’ death would have been for nothing.  When one falls the others are there to help lift them up. My prayer for each of you is that something I write will lift you up and help you come to know the Heavenly Father.  Above all let our Heavenly Father be glorified in everything I do. 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I want to know you better each day.  When I spend time with You I feel your strength in my life.  Help me to only write things that will glorify You.  Thank you for blessing me with what I write each day and I pray that it glorifies Your Holy Name.

Scripture:  For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.  For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.  We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.  Romans 12:3-8