Jesus Take The Wheel

I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.
~Charles Dickens~

Jesus Take The Wheel
She was drivin' last Friday on her way to Cincinnati
On a snow white Christmas Eve
Goin' home to see her Mama and her Daddy
With the baby in the back seat
Fifty miles to go and she was runnin' low
On faith and gasoline
It'd been a long hard year

She had a lot on her mind and she didn't pay attention
She was goin' way too fast
Before she knew it she was on a thin black sheet of glass
She saw both their lives flash before her eyes
She didn't even have time to cry
She was so scared, she threw her hands up in the air

(Chorus)
Jesus take the wheel
Take it from my hands
'Cause I can't do this on my own
I'm letting go
So give me one more chance
Save me from this road I'm on
Jesus take the wheel

It was still getting colder when she made it to the shoulder and the car came to a stop
She cried when she saw that baby in the back seat sleepin' like a rock
And for the first time in a long time she bowed her head to pray
She said I'm sorry for the way
I've been livin' my life
I know I've got to change
So from now on tonight

This song lyrics is kinda post modern but very meaningful if you have a mind that is reflective and imaginative. I pray that I can echo the title of this song as I reflect on God's goodness to me. A reminder for all of us to surrender our whole lives and those parts that we still need Him to be 100% Lord of all - "Jesus, take the wheel!"

The song opens dramatically. A woman is driving through bad winter weather. Her baby is secure in the infant seat in the back. It’s Christmas Eve and this young mother is on the way home to visit her parents, tired, low on gas, depressed and driving too fast.

Suddenly she hits a patch of black ice and the car spins out of control. Both her life and the life of her baby flash before her eyes. She panics, throws her hands in the air and in that instant…surrenders to Jesus. “Jesus, take the wheel / Take it from my hands / Cause I can't do this all my own / I'm letting go”.

There’s the message in a couple of lines. I’m letting go. I can’t do it. I can’t live my life (as much as I may think I can) on my own power. Jesus (God) – you drive.

No one wants tragedy to strike. But, in all our lives it is inevitable that we will come face to face with hardship. There are no guarantees. At some point in life you will realize that alone, on your own, as tough and talented as you might be, life will throw a curveball you can’t hit.

In the song the young mother’s car comes to a halt safely, perhaps miraculously, and no harm to her or her baby. She is overcome with tears and the realization that things must change. She is grateful for another chance at life and decides to change. Let go, let God.

We don’t have to wait for a life-threatening wakeup call. But something has to get your attention. And it is not about making a deal with God. If we choose God 100% our responsibility is to give up trying to run our lives (and anyone else’s) and spread that love around.

Perhaps a song will be our wakeup call. Jesus will drive - if you and I let him.