Recently I was gathered with some women that I do life with. We were sharing our stories about riding with other drivers and how well we embrace the role of being passengers. Not surprisingly, some of us are guilty of being backseat drivers.
Watch out! Don’t forget to turn. Shouldn't we have gone the other way? Slow down. Go faster. I think the other way has less traffic. The light is turning. Maybe you should use your blinker?
Many of us have also mastered nonverbal language used by all good backseat drivers such as:
• dramatically gripping the door handle
• bold gasps of air and other unintelligible sounds
• eye rolls the driver may or may not see
• using our mental super powers to will our driver to turn where we want them to turn and to park where we want them to park; and
• pumping the invisible gas pedal or brake at our feet.
A few of us have developed the practice of closing our eyes or looking anywhere but right in front of us in order to keep our mouths closed and our bodies quietly affirming. We are able to relax and trust that the driver will get us where we need to go without wrecking. And if they take a long and perhaps unnecessary detour, we still manage to enjoy the ride. I must say I don’t fall in that group quite as often as I would like to.
On my walk today, my mind chatter went back to a regular point of disagreement with my spouse. Suddenly I remembered the conversation about backseat drivers and realized I had another option. I could choose a different response besides continuing to defend my position, re-stating over and over why I think my way is right and pushing to get what I want.
Let go. Surrender. Trust that God knows what I want in this situation and why, and believe that my needs will be taken care of completely, even if at first the results may look differently than what I had in mind. In other words, let God drive the vehicle and quit being a backseat driver on this journey of life.
My spouse often throws out ideas that he probably will never act on anyway, so jumping in to argue against every thought he speaks out loud is not the best use of my energy. I’m losing my peace by engaging in battles that may never need to be fought.
I’m so grateful for the reminder that I don’t have to try to win every conflict that is served up to me. I can practice phrases like, Oh that’s interesting; I’m not sure about that; Well whatever you think; That could work; and I trust you. Ouch! That last one kind of trips over my tongue, but I bet my spouse would love to hear that one especially more often.
In Finding the Gift, the daily meditation on September 24, “My Spiritual Bike Ride,” is similar in suggestion. My job is to take the actions that are mine and then surrender and let the rest go. Trust that God has the handlebars (or steering wheel) and sit back to enjoy the ride.
Wherever you may be struggling, I hope you can trust that you will get where you need to go, when you need to be there, while staying open to the surprises that happen along the way. Maybe there is a route you haven't thought about that would add to your experience?
Let's release our resistance to things which are beyond our control and save our energy for where we can have the most impact. As we relax into life, we are more likely to appreciate the gifts that appear.
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Cheers to a great week, noticing the gifts that matter most. Feel free to share this with a friend. Until next time...
To your gifts!
Angela
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Monthaven Art Society Spring Art Exhibit
Our Spring Exhibit will open Friday, April 19 and run through Sunday, May 5 at the Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center, 1017 Antebellum Circle, Hendersonville. Over 29 artists participating with over 100 works of all styles and mediums. The opening reception will be Sunday, April 28, 2 to 5 PM with good eats and live music. See you there!
Speaking, Art and Book Event
On April 30, I will be speaking at a community event to kick off a year-long celebration of the 150th anniversary of the First Presbyterian Church of Hendersonville. Coffee starts at 9 am and my talk will start at 10 am. Books and paintings will be available for sale and I am also donating a painting which will be auctioned off that morning to raise funds for improvements to their historic cemetery. Hope to see you!
P.S.
FTG Readers Group Rocks! I'm so grateful to walk this journey with you all and I love reading your comments in our
Facebook Readers Group. Please join the conversation if you're not already a member. Your voice is important!
Book Reviews Help So Much!
If you haven't already, would you please leave a book review on
Amazon and/or
Goodreads? Thank you in advance for taking a moment to do this and much appreciation to those who already
have!
