Introspection: Does Jesus Take the Wheel?

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Does Jesus Take the Wheel?

So be careful how you live; be mindful of your steps.  Don't run around like idiots as the rest of the world does.  Instead, walk as the wise!  Make the most of every living and breathing moment because these are evil times.  So understand and be confident in God's will, and don't live thoughtlessly.

Ephesians 5:15-17 (The Voice)

But lately I am beginning to find

That when I drive myself my light is found

From "Drive" by Incubus

Christians have a language of their own, a set of concepts, jargon, expressions, and platitudes that don't always make too much sense outside the Church.  To be honest, some of it doesn't make much sense to some of us inside the Church either.  One concept that often leaves me scratching my head is expressed in a bumper sticker that reads, "If God is your copilot, change seats."  This idea is described in a number of ways including "giving God the reins," "surrendering to God," and "giving God control."

This concept is expressed rather poignantly in a song titled "Jesus, Take the Wheel."  Made famous by country singer Carrie Underwood, this song tells the story of a young woman who has made some bad choices in life and, in a desperate moment, decides to turn to Christ.¹  I won't deny that the song is moving.  I hate to admit this, but, during a rather difficult time in my life, I heard this song on the radio and actually started crying.²  I once confessed this to a friend of mine, and he said that he would have just changed the radio station.

In my opinion, Christianese expressions about "giving God control" can potentially be confusing or even problematic at face value, so I would suggest that we consider abandoning such language and start saying what we mean by it.

I would agree with Carrie Underwood that driving is a pretty good metaphor for life in general.  There are many things on the road that we cannot control.  We cannot control how fast or how safely other people are driving.  We cannot control traffic lights.  We cannot control the conditions of the roads we take.  We cannot control whether or not there is a traffic jam on the interstate or whether or not road construction requires us to take detours.

The only thing on the road a person actually can control is his or her own car.  We can operate our cars in ways that can make driving a better experience for ourselves and for the other drivers around us.  We can follow traffic laws, and we can be considerate of other drivers.  We can be intentional about where we're going.  We can keep our cars in good working condition.  On the other hand, we can also operate our cars in ways that irritate other drivers or put ourselves and others in danger.  "A friend of mine" tends to become frustrated when other drivers unnecessarily try to pass him, so sometimes he speeds up in an attempt to put them back in their place.

In life, as in traffic, there are many things over which a person has little to no control.  Still, there is one thing over which a person always has control.  One always has control over one's own choices, including how one chooses to respond to the things one cannot control.

Regarding the matters in which we have no control, we cannot surrender control to God, because we never had any control to surrender in the first place.  What we actually can - and should - give up is the illusion of control.  We need to recognize the things over which we have no control and choose to trust in God regardless of what happens.  I once theorized that chronic worry must be a form of addiction, for I could not imagine that anyone would willingly choose to do something so unpleasant.  Nowadays I think that worry might be a withdrawal symptom associated with an addiction to control.

Regarding the matters in which we do have at least some measure of control, we would do well to remember that God did not create human beings as puppets or robots.  God created humans as free agents with minds of their own.  God has put us behind the steering wheel in our own lives, so we must never take our hands off the wheel, no matter what Ms. Underwood sings.

If you give up control of your vehicle while you're driving, your life will get really bad really quickly as your car drifts somewhere it should not go.  At best, your car will just end up in a ditch.  At worst, your car will drift into oncoming traffic or off a bridge.  Life won't be much better for you if you give up control of your decisions.  If you don't make your own decisions in life, someone else will make your decisions for you, and that "someone else" won't necessarily be God.  You will drift through life, passively accepting anything and everything that comes your way, allowing the desires and expectations of others to dictate everything you do.

God's will, as I understand it, is not something that happens to us but rather something we do.  There is a way God wants all of us to live - a life of love for God and neighbor.³  At least some of us might even have special God-given callings in life.  Doing God's will might require us to surrender some of our plans or desires, but we are always in control of what we do.  There are no strings with which God controls our arms and legs us like a puppeteer.  Following God's will is not simply going with the flow and enjoying the ride.  It requires intentionality.  In fact, it might even require us to go against the current at times.  God may have directions for our journeys, but it is always up to us to choose to follow those directions.

To summarize, I would say that what Christians call "Giving God control" actually means two things.  First, it means recognizing that some things are ultimately beyond our control and then trusting in God regardless of what happens.  Second, it means recognizing what control we actually do have and exercising that control in a godly manner.  We never really give up control of ourselves, for we are always responsible for our own choices.  On the other hand, we are invited to give up any illusion of control we don't have, to be open to God's leading, and to hold our own agendas loosely.

A certain prayer written by theologian Reinhold Niebuhr can offer us some guidance as we wrestle with matters of control in our lives.  This prayer is commonly known as the Serenity Prayer.

God, give me grace to accept with serenity

the things that cannot be changed,

Courage to change the things

which should be changed,

and the Wisdom to distinguish

the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,

Enjoying one moment at a time,

Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,

Taking, as Jesus did,

This sinful world as it is,

Not as I would have it,

Trusting that You will make all things right,

If I surrender to Your will,

So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,

And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Amen.

I like this prayer because Niebuhr recognizes that there are times when we have no control and need to trust in God and also times when we need wisdom and courage from God to exercise the control we do have.⁴

That morning when I started crying while listening to "Jesus Take the Wheel" on the radio, I was in a bad situation because I had floated my way through life and ended up somewhere I didn't need to be, like a jellyfish washed up on the beach.  If anything, God used that time in my life to teach me that I need to live with intentionality.  In other words, I learned that I actually need to take the wheel in my own life while seeking guidance from God.  Though I am still sometimes guilty of drifting in life, I find that my efforts are blessed when I actually take the wheel and steer.

So does Jesus really take the wheel?  I don't believe He does, because we are meant to drive ourselves.  I do believe that following Him will help us to drive well and keep us from getting hopelessly lost.


Notes:

1. Wikipedia: Jesus, Take the Wheel
2. Believe me, it was a bad time in my life.
3. Adam Hamilton calls this God's Prescriptive Will in his book Why?: Making Sense of God's Will.  2011, Abingdon Press.
4. To learn more about this prayer and others, check out the book Three Prayers You'll Want to Pray by my friend George Hovaness Donigian.  2014, Morehouse Publishing.

The photograph of Southern California traffic was taken by Daniel R. Blume and is used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.  The photographer is in no way affiliated with this blog.