Lessons from Driving with a Teen

The end of the school year in the Conlee household marked another mile marker: The excitement of a learner’s permit. Yep, if you see a Toyota Sequoia with a Highpoint sticker, consider yourself warned! In all seriousness, my first driver is a solid one. I originally thought that teaching Mark to drive would be a great father-son experience. I gleefully thought I was off the hook for at least the initial hours of driving. As summer schedules would have it, however, I have been the primary trainer this time around.There are many skills that Mark seems to have a great handle on, but one phrase continues to come from my lips on a pretty regular basis: “Center yourself in your lane.” The first few times out on the road, I discovered that Mark was most comfortable in the left lane. Even in the left lane with only one lane of traffic to keep an eye on, however, Mark would occasionally veer towards the right lane or the side of the road. As he got a few hours under his belt and gained confidence, we would venture into the middle lane. Like an overplayed commercial on the radio, I would consistently tell him to center himself.As I reflect on the overused phrase in my car, I cannot help but notice our faith journey needs this same reminder. It is so easy to wander a little to the left or the right in our faith. We simply get a little distracted and before long we have moved off course. Along the highway, they intentionally have ruts that quickly remind us that we have drifted from our lane. I am sure those noisy strips have protected many drivers. Perhaps what is more dangerous is when we are just driving down our street. It is so easy to get comfortable.Mark has been going to driving school during this time. When he first started, he commented that his instructor was right: “The car goes where my eyes go.” If Mark would check his right mirror, the car would start to veer right. Isn’t this exactly what happens to us? Our life goes where our eyes go. Maybe we strive for the life others have or maybe we decide to hang with the wrong people. In either scenario, we start to veer off course.Further along in his driving, Mark mentioned that an older friend told him that it is easier to stay in his lane if he looks at the car in front of him rather than focusing on the lines on the road. Again, this has an accurate correlation to our faith. If we look at our faith as just a bunch of do’s and don’ts, we can easily become overwhelmed and miss the point. If we can find someone a few steps ahead of us in our journey, all of a sudden we have the opportunity to follow in their footsteps.So, today… it is time to center yourself! Where are you veering off course? What little distraction could end up causing a major accident down the road? What is one adjustment you need to make to center yourself in your lane? Have you sought out the friendship of someone a little further down the road in their faith?We are not meant to make this journey alone! We all need to find someone to follow and be willing to live in a way such that others further behind could benefit from following us.