Backseat Driver
I have only had one experience in my life when I distinctly heard God speak to me. My son was about four, and his school was holding its annual preschool Harvest Festival. I desperately wanted to attend, so I worked as hard as I could to finish all my tasks and free myself from the hospital for one precious hour. I just wanted one little hour! Things were looking promising until, just before I was ready to leave, I was called to attend an emergency delivery. A woman was giving birth to a baby who had been prenatally diagnosed with serious congenital anomalies, which would most likely prove fatal. The one glorious hour I had hoped to spend with my son was quickly replaced by several hours of struggling to keep a baby alive and carefully guiding a family through the emotional minefield of death.
As I drove home that evening, I felt very angry because I had been denied the chance to spend time with my son at his special event. Suddenly, in the midst of my pity party, I heard a distinct voice from the backseat of my car say, “I NEEDED YOU THERE.” I was instantly humbled and broke down in tears. My selfish anger was quickly exposed, and my place in God’s story became clear. I wanted to deviate from the script, but God, witnessing my ad-lib folly, whispered from the wings, “I needed you there.” It seems that, contrary to the “Jesus is my co-pilot” bumper sticker, He is truly more of a backseat Driver.
God's Screenplay 