The Rev. Robert L. Schwarz, Rector

How’s My Driving? — Call GOD and Tell Him

This is the month when families all seem to take wheels and wings to some designated vacationland.  I believe that the Christian traveling community should all offer prayers for safe travel.  But do we honor the role we play in safe passage, especially as it relates to driving?  So the question of the day is, “Do you drive like a Christian?”

Driving a vehicle is a privilege, a sacred trust, and a true form of stewardship.  Drivers guide a block of heavy metal through the challenges of obstacles, weather, uncertain rules, and reckless competitors.  They exert power over their lives and the lives of others.

Christians believe in the sanctity of life, that we are created in the image of GOD and that GOD loved us so very much that He gave His Son to die in order to achieve reconciliation.  Therefore Christians must be concerned about the carnage, maiming, and death that occur on our highways.

Back to the original question, “Do you drive like a Christian?”  I believe that we try to show and share our Christian values and lifestyle in the presence of others.  We pride ourselves with our attributes of caring, patience, and consistency.  But when we get behind the wheel of a vehicle we become the victim of our moods and circumstances.  Suddenly the conservative, patient, courteous Christian becomes aggressive, impatient, and unpredictable behind the wheel.

Do you drive like a Christian?  Do you get furious when someone around you drives aggressively or honks at you?  Do you jackrabbit away from stops and brake with a punctuating squeal?  Do you blow your horn in an attempt to save seconds?

Do you dim your lights for an approaching vehicle when the other driver refuses?  Do you tailgate?  Do you regularly cross restrictive lines and ignore traffic signs and signals?  Remember nine out of ten accidents involve breaking the law, mostly speeding and careless driving.  We have a whole litany of gestures and sayings we use as Christians to convey our mutual respect and, yes, love of the Lord.  Why do those gestures and murmurings change when we grip the wheel of a vehicle and charge on with the determination of a tank commander?

Do you drive like a Christian?  Do you knowingly speed and take irresponsible risks?  Our children and children’s children watch, remember, and usually emulate our behavior.  They figure out sooner than later when we are on the alert for police cars and radar.  We have laws, most responsible, some debatable, but they are all equally enforced — I’m thinking about cell phone use while driving.  What we could be facing by our behavior is a response from young people,  “If parents and grandparents can knowingly ignore the law, so can I.”  Finally the greatest traffic problem is the drinking driver.  Besides the human carnage, the price tag for alcohol-related mayhem is nearly 50 million dollars a year.

There’s a piece of appropriate scripture to this piece — when God said to Cain, “Where is your brother?” And the divine response was, “I don’t know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”  And the response is a resounding “Yes.”  Because we are Christians, we need to drive like one.  For family’s sake, for other travelers and pedestrians, and for self we must drive carefully and be good and careful stewards of the license to drive.

Please be careful, wise, and prudent as you travel with families, mindful in all the things you say and do you are an example of Christ in action.

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03/31/2010 02:47:33 PM