Follow Me - GOD

This afternoon, I drove a few kilometers from our city of residence to the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in Batangas City and back. I had to do some paperwork in order to get my non-professional driver's license since my student permit is going to expire in a few months. My dad went with me.

As I drove through the expressway, I glanced at the the speed limit sign. Posted there in black ink was "100", which meant the maximum speed was 100 km/h. I looked briefly at the speedometer: 80 km/h. I bit my lip. For this reason, I knew I was nervous. Twice, I overtook a vehicle that was moving significantly slower than I was. I almost reached out to wipe an invisible sweat off my brow. With my eye condition, I know I have to exert more effort in sharpening my depth perception.

Moments later, vehicles of all shapes and sizes zoomed past me many times. Masyado ba akong mabagal? (Was I moving too slow?) I thought. I checked the speedometer again. It said 90-100 km/h. I gripped the steering wheel. Ito. Ay. Nakakatakot. (This. Is. Scary.) I said to myself.

All of a sudden, my dad - a man of a few words - said, "Magmaneho ka lang sa bilis na komportable ka at kaya mo." ("Drive at a speed you are comfortable with and can control [within the limit].") In the silence that followed, I knew his unsaid words would've been something like: "Never mind those speed-crazy drivers. You're not here to catch up to them. You're here to drive and learn from it."

After dealing with some matters at the LTO, I noticed that I was more relaxed while driving on the way back home. From today's experience, I gained a new insight: growing up is like a ride in the car.

When I was a little girl, I'd be at the backseat with my brother and sister. We'll eat, sleep, talk (Are we there yet?), and do kid stuff. Basically, we have no idea how to get from point A to point B. All we know is our parents know and we trust them to take us there. Then the teenage years came rolling by and I began having the honor of sitting in the passenger seat. It's a whole new world that I see through the windshield as opposed to mostly side window viewing before. More importantly, I have a better view of how drivers, well, drive. Next thing I know, I am a young adult; I have the privilege to actually be that person behind the steering wheel. It's a big responsibility. I have to check that the vehicle is in great working condition. I have to ensure the safety of my passengers. I have to adhere to traffic rules and regulations. More importantly, I have to be sure that I know where I'm going and how to get there.

"Then the king stood by a pillar and made a covenant before the LORD, to follow the LORD and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people took a stand for the covenant."
- 2 Kings 23:3

Thank you, Lord, for showing me the Way.