The Driver’s Seat.

“Have you noticed, that… your life has been very… challenging?”

I knew she was on to something. And I knew, she was about to help me discover something magical, something that smelled refreshing and nostalgic and ancient and fresh. So I stayed on track, trying to catch a whiff of the trail.

“Yea, I have. But what am I to do?”

Silence.

“So, what are you saying?” I asked, smiling a little, not wanting to sound confrontational.

“What I’m saying is, I’ve noticed that your life seems to consist of climbing one mountain after the next, and all I’m wondering is, whether you feel tired, and if you exercise enough self-care. Like what we talked about at our last session.”

We were on the topic of my next book. About it going to be published soon, about the difficulties which came with it and which will come along with it. We were talking about my upcoming final examinations, my ruminations about how my previous illness had taken away what I wished it hadn’t. We were talking about that recurrent topic in our conversations, about that melancholic sense of lonliness inside of me because of my desire to do missions and to live my life differently.

“So how does doing all these things make you feel?”

“I mean, I guess I feel fulfilled. But to be honest, sometimes I do feel lonely. I mean, on the outside it looks great. Like, people think I have it all together- studies, community service, friends etc. But hey, I only got 24 hours in a day, so something’s gotta go- I end up doing a lot of “purposeful” things. You’re right. Sometimes, I get tired. And it feels lonely. But I mean, I’ve come to accept it- because, I feel called to do this sorta thing.”

“Sure.”

Silence.

“But I guess, part of the roller-coaster bit of my life, part of my previous illness was because I tried so hard to be in control. There’re so many factors in life- I can’t control the results of my studies, I can’t control my future residency, I can’t control what people think of me, I can’t control where I’ll be headed next, so the eating disorder was the best way for me to feel in control.”

“Absolutely.”

Silence.

“So do you see, how you’ve compartmentalised God? Like you give Him control over this, this and this, but not over that, that and that? And because of that, do you see how you tend to climb your own mountains, one after another, to experience that temporary high? But they’re barren mountains. They’re all barren. All that unecessary drama was from you driving by yourself because you feared that God would take you elsewhere you feared you wouldn’t be able to cope.”

Epiphany moment.

“Yea… you’re… right.”

Do you, like me, struggle to be in the driver’s seat? Do you fear the change in scenery, the feeling like you don’t know where you’re being driven to, and if you’d be taken to a place where, gasp, you might not be able to cope?

I know I do.

I’ve always striven to be behind the wheel, so I think I know exactly where I’m going. The truth is, even with both hands behind the steering wheel, we never do. How can we, for only God knows our futures and our lives. The ironic part is, we, in our ignorance, in spite of our best intentions, then often drive ourselves up mountains that we were never meant to climb.

“Why do you want to drive up barren mountains, when God wants to bring you to lusher, grander, more beautiful mountains on the other side? Has it occurred to you, that perhaps, in spite of all your fears about not knowing where He might take you, you may very well be driving yourself up a far more difficult terrain than what He has planned for you?”

I thought about my previous illness, my publishing journey in writing and illustrating books as well as my self-striving in terms of training in triathlon. I saw the common pattern of how my own ideas of success became my own stumbling blocks- caused me unecessary afflictions, anxiety and injuries. It was time-consuming and on restrospect, silly.

God wants to bring us to grander scenery- why do we fear? He wants to take us on the best ride. His cross for us to bear may not be as big as the ones we impose on ourselves.

“So yea, continue to let go. Let Him take over the wheel.”

Towards the end, I brought up an issue which I had been thinking about a great deal over the past few months. About a friendship which I wanted to cut off and abandon because I was too afraid.

“I mean, this is crazy. What’s going to happen?”

“Precisely. You don’t know. Let God decide, let Him drive. Because when you do, you’ll feel a sense of freedom.”

“Aw man, no. You don’t understand, this is a mountain coming. You said that my life is full of roller coasters, didn’t you? This is, for sure, going to be a huge mountain and He’s driving me right into it! I haven’t been able to stop it, He drove me right into it!”

“Who said life was about avoiding mountains?”

“Ah, I see. So it’s about climbing the right ones.”

“Exactly. And as far as I’m concerned, this is the one opportunity where you can finally give God the chance to show you that He’s a better driver than you.”

Okay God, I’m getting out of the driver’s seat and onto the passenger seat. But before you take off and hit the road, let me fasten my seat-belts. I know you’re a safe driver and will never let me come to harm, but I know, you’re a much bigger adventure junkie than I could ever be.

Let go. Let Him take over.

And hang on tight.