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Enjoy The Ride

"For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons buy which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!'"

My son, Peter (age 4) and I were driving together one Sunday morning to a church where I had been invited to speak. Just us 'boys' were making the drive north on route 15 toward Leesburg (about 45 minutes.) This is always a scenic ride, however this was a particularly beautiful fall morning where the Virginia countryside clearly exhibited the hand of God. As we were driving along, Peter and I were discussing how the car radio was able to play music without having little people with musical instruments inside. It was fun for Peter and I just to talk and be together. I was content to take in the view and to focus on my son's face as he tried to understand the concept of radio waves. Any anxiety about preaching a sermon in forty minutes at a church I had never been to before, was a million miles away.

Just as I began to soak up this Norman Rockwell moment, Peter asked the question, "When are we going to get there, Dad?" Something was different about how we were each looking at this moment. I was content with just being with my son, knowing we would eventually get where we needed to be. Unfortunately, Peter was only interested in, "How much longer, Dad?" I attempted to explain that everything was fine and that we would get there soon. But my explanation was as well received as my radio waves explanation.

Peter was not able to rest in the fact that he could trust me to get us there in perfect time. Unfortunately, his lack of rest, did not allow him to fully enjoy the time we were having together at that moment.

I can't tell you how many times I have heard about and personally experienced the frustration of feeling like I'm never going to 'get there'. I believe that walking with Christ as my Life does not mean that eventually I'm going to reach a final 'point' in my faith walk. Instead, I am learning that the 'point' is the process. Riding next to my Dad, just enjoying being with Him and knowing that I can trust Him to take me where I need to be and when.