An Inkling
When each of our daughters turned 16 their most exciting gift was a set of keys for the family car. Talk about excitement. Keys! Wheels! Freedom! Great is the joy when coming of age. Do you remember?
The shine got taken off my joy very quickly on my 16th birthday. I got my driver’s license in the morning, and that afternoon I went driving by myself for the first time. I still remember that feeling of freedom. Unfortunately, I also remember the crunching sound of the family Buick rear-ending a VW van. I was only going about ten miles per hour, so the dents were minimal, and the car was still drivable. But my ego was totaled.
What followed was an object lesson in God’s grace. I made the embarrassing call home, and my dad drove over immediately. He certainly didn’t brush the matter off – I had indeed made a mess. But neither did he condemn me. When it came time to go home I was ready to ride rather than drive. But he pointed me to the driver’s seat. It was a dramatic demonstration of forgiveness, the kind of forgiveness that brings a second chance – God’s kind of forgiveness.
You may recall that when the prodigal returned home, he wanted simply to be a servant. He had blown it as a son, and didn’t want to risk such responsibility again. But the father would not hear of it, and again outfitted his son with a son’s robe and ring (Luke 15).
When we blow it while coming of age, as we inevitably do, we often want to opt out of the new responsibilities, and to regress to some safer age and stage. But God’s forgiveness is such that we find ourselves back in the driver’s seat. He wants his daughters and sons to grow up, and that means taking up the full coming of age challenges. But it is his grace alone that makes those coming of age challenges bearable.
None of us drives far without some new dents. You can count on the Father to answer your call and come immediately. And you can count on a grace that will bring you back to the driver’s seat in the wisest of ways.
Drive on!
Keith
