The Interruption of Everything

At the 8:30 service this morning, Barbara Desmond told me about a line in the new Terry McMillan novel, "The Interruption of Everything." One character warns another not to have God as her spare tire, but rather to have God as her steering wheel. Now that is a powerful metaphor for this Advent season when we consider the image of turning. How easy it is to simply take God for granted; to assume that in an emergency God will be present to help, just like a spare tire. In old VW Beetles (the original version) the clever engineers cut as many corners as possible, so they used the air pressure of the spare tire to power the windshield washer. Practical as this may be, it would at times lead to a soft tire when it was most needed. I'm afraid that taking God for granted is just like that: we tap into a little of the Holy Spirit's "air pressure" when we need it and go merrily on our way, thinking that we are in charge and have no needs that we can't handle. But then when we are lost and in need, we don't know where to turn and we don't have the resources we need.

Now if God is the steering wheel, then we are able to go where we need to go without a worry. I have to say that I don't like the idea of being in control of what God does, so the metaphor comes up a little short. But, God is certainly the power that turns the wheels in the right direction. Since we exercise free will, God is foolish enough to let us turn the wheels in the wrong direction too. But at least if God is our steering wheel, then we absolutely can go nowhere without God. That is certainly how it should be.

In this sometimes crazy season, where the "true meaning of Christmas" is threatened to be drowned out my advertizing and consumerism, give yourself the gift of constantly requiring God's presence to give you direction--it just might be the greatest gift you ever receive.