Handing Jesus the Keys

     Today my family watched a sermon together by Pastor Francis Chan.  If you haven't read any of his books (Crazy Love, You And Me Forever, or Forgotten God), then you really should check them out.  But what I want to mention here is an powerful analogy that he used in his sermon, Why Are We Here?


     Imagine that you are driving a car.  It represents your life.  You are in control of your life, zooming down the highway.

     Now imagine that you see Jesus standing on the side of the road, waiting for you.  His eyes are locked on yours, waiting to see what you will do.  Will you leave Him standing there?  Or maybe, will you maybe pop the trunk and call to Him to get inside, thinking to yourself, It will be handy to have Him around when I go through a trial or hard time.  Better safe than sorry.   Of course Jesus, the Creator of the universe, doesn't want to get in your trunk.

     So maybe you open the back door?  Nope.  He doesn't want to sit behind you.  He doesn't want to be your "last option", the One whom you turn to when life gets bad.  

     Maybe you go and open up the passenger door, thinking to yourself, Jesus can be my buddy!  He can come with me, and we can talk together.  But He can't have 100% control of my life.  He can help me when I need help, but I will rule my own future.   

     Jesus is better than that.  Do you know what He wants?  Jesus wants you to stop the car, get out of the driver's seat, and hand Him the keys.  Jesus wants to drive the car for you!  He wants to take you where you need to go.  You need to get in the passenger seat, strap on your seat-belt (even though Jesus would never crash, it's still the law) and go where He wants you to go. Don't lean over when there is a sharp curve and help Him steer!  He can do a much, much, much better job at driving than you ever could.  Let everything go, and give Him the keys.  Let Him control everything.  Sit back in your seat in faith.

     So...where is Jesus in your life?  Is He in your trunk?  Is He in the backseat?  Is He your "buddy" in the passenger seat, chatting with you?  Did you leave Him on the side of the road?  Or maybe...is He holding the keys to your life and steering where He wants to go?  You don't need to give me your answer.  Just think about it for a little while.  Be honest with yourself.  Where is He sitting?  The God who created this whole world.  The God who created you.  His plans are much better than yours.