leadership

Jesus, Take the Wheel

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“The most terrifying detail about Noah’s Ark isn’t the size of the flood. It is the design of the boat.

If you look closely at the blueprints God gave Noah in Genesis 6, He was extremely specific.

He gave the exact length, width, and height. He specified the type of wood and the pitch to seal it.

In my little years, I have never thought of this, but God intentionally left out one crucial component. There was no steering wheel, no sail, and worse still, there was no engine.

Think about how scary that is.

Noah was building a massive vessel to survive a global storm, but he had zero control over it, or over where it went. He couldn’t steer it away from rocks. He couldn’t turn it into the waves. He couldn’t aim for dry land. He was completely at the mercy of the water.

The Ark was not designed for navigation; just for floating.

Noah’s job was to be the Passenger, not the Captain.

God was the Captain.

This is a picture of your life right now.

You are trying to put a steering wheel in a boat that God can control, if you let Him…” (@elizabethltboyd on X).

I know just about everybody reading this has probably heard of the song made famous by Carrie Underwood called “Jesus, Take the Wheel.”

It has become something of a saying that has little to do with actually giving control to Jesus. I think it means “y’all are crazy over there” or something.

Whatever it means, it’s telling that there was no steering wheel on the ark. Noah was supposed to trust God completely to guide him to where he was supposed to go. And how easy is it for us to want to try to take over from God when life gets complicated or stressful, right?

But letting God lead means that God is not my co-pilot with helpful suggestions. He is the pilot. He tells me where to go. He takes me where I need to go. And when I’m smart enough, I trust Him because He has never steered me wrong once. Not once.

Things I Love 32: Everything Will Be Fine in the End

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island hammock

“The prayers we weave into the matching of socks, the stirring of oatmeal, the reading of stories, they survive fire” (Ann Voskamp).

“I don’t really want more time; I just want enough time. Time to breathe deep and time to see real and time to laugh long, time to give You glory and rest deep and sing joy and just enough time in a day not to feel hounded, pressed, driven, or wild to get it all done-yesterday” (Ann Voskamp).

The way I figure it, I have only two of these left. Then again, I was never good at math. And who knows? Maybe I’ll be a rebel and add one extra just for the fun of it. Why stop at 1,000? Why stop at all? Gratitude means you never stop counting your blessings that you become aware of as you number them one by one. So that said, I start again at #936.

936) Making my triumphant return to swing dancing tonight at Centennial Park.

937) How anyone who has ever worked in a corporate environment can relate to the movie Office Space.

938) The Greek on the GO! Strawberry Granola Bites. You can’t have just one. Or at least I can’t.

939) Whenever my family gets together.

940) That I’m losing my mind and as long as I don’t lose the part that tells me when to pee, I’ll be just fine.

941) Reading The Horse and His Boy again for probably the 15th year in a row.

942) Having “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” as my new text and email alert on my iPhone.

943) Mild summer days with low humidity.

944) Having my only expectations be that God will keep all His promises to me.

945) The Dream of someone.

946) Using Inappropriately Captalized Letters At Random.

947) Having access to the Throne of Grace 24 hours 7 days a week.

948) Sometimes my only mode of transportation is a leap of faith (borrowed from a Facebook post).

949) That I don’t have to fire cannons to call attention to my shining; all I have to do is shine (from D. L. Moody).

950) Borrowing quotes and ideas from people on Facebook.

951) Being able to highlight verses in my YouVersion Bible app on my iPhone.

952) Having all my Christmas music on my laptop in case I ever feel the need for Christmas in July (or August).

953) Office chairs that swivel and spin.

954) Saturdays when it’s not raining.

955) Ditto for Sundays.

956) Not having been hit by any cars in the last 6 months.

957) Being alone and praying in Baskin Chapel at Brentwood Baptist Church.

958) Every time someone accepts my friend request on Facebook.

959) The way when I’m in a serious moment of silence and my stomach suddenly decides to do a spot-on impression of a whale’s mating call (borrowed this one from Pinterest).

960) That the walk of faith is not about seeing the whole journey but taking the next step.

961) That my hope isn’t in a President but a King.

962) Knowing the Kingdom of God is now and not yet.

963) Nerds candy.

964) Big League Chew bubble gum.

965) Meeting an Asian person who hates all Asian food (and thus busting another stereotype).

966) Asian food of just about any kind.

967) All George MacDonald’s fantasy stories.

968) How much I can relate to John Cusack’s characters in just about every one of his movies.

969) Living in the moment and finding God there.

970) My friend at Ultimate Frisbee who looks like Amanda Seyfried and who always makes me smile.

Who’s the Greatest?

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Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven? That’s the question that got the disciples all hot and bothered and mad at each other? It’s a question that we ask today, though none of us ever admit it.

Is it the one with the golden voice and the great oratory skills who packs in the crowds with his great speaking ability? No.

Is it the one who can sing like an angel and who can hit notes other mortals only dream about who inspires fervant worship from the masses? No.

Is it the one with all the leadership skills who has read every John Maxwell book ever written? No.

Who is it then?

According to Jesus, the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven is the one who is like a little child.

Not our westernized romanticized idea of children as sweet and innocent and perfect.

When Jesus said we should be like little children, he meant the children who can’t do anything for themselves and who are dependent on others for everything.

Only when we get humbled like that can we see God do great things in and through us.

Only when we trade in our ruler mentality for a servent mentality. Only when we like Paul see ourselves as the worst of sinners saved by the best of God’s grace.

Only when we become like Jesus, who thought equality with God nothing to be clung to, but Who made Himself nothing. Who became a slave obedient to the point of death. Who died a criminal’s death on a scandalous cross for you and me.

That’s what it means to be the greatest. To lay down your life for your friends and become the slave of all and count others as better than yourself and love till it hurts (and past that point) and take up your cross daily.

It’s the opposite of what sells books and what you see in a lot of leadership positions in churches and Christian organizations.

But it’s the only true way to greatness, according to Jesus.