✋🏼✋🏼🚗 'HANDS OFF THE STEERING WHEEL!' 😳🚗🙏🏼

🚗🚘 A long, long time ago, I let "JESUS take the wheel," of my life! 🙂🙏🏼✝️💜 Many times since then, I have been tempted to grab it, have actually tried to grab it, have grabbed it, and thus, have scared, hurt, embarrassed, etc., myself and others! 😏 HE was/is in the "driver's seat" of the "car of my life," and, has been since that day, of which, I write!  Therefore, anytime I have tried to "help" HIM steer, I have NOT helped HIM, but, have caused fender benders, wrecks, ETC.!! 😩 Whenever, I try to take back the "steering wheel" of my life, I am not applying Scriptures, such as - Proverbs 3:5+6 (and many others), to my journey! 📖 Instead, this type of behavior is based in FEAR, not FAITH! 😏 Thank God, by HIS bountiful GRACE, I have never PUSHED wonderful JESUS, the perfect "driver," completely out of the "driver's seat" of my "car of life," which, would have been (and, would be)...CATASTROPHIC!!  I'm not metaphorically speaking of losing SALVATION, but rather, totally taking back the control of my life's decisions, choices, endeavors, ETC.! 😉 "I'll tell you what," I have been tempted, have tried, and, have also made some messes - as a result of trying, the past couple, daunting, trying, etc., years (and other times)!  But, glory to God, HIS SPIRIT, WORD, ANGELS, GRACE, ETC., kept me from succeeding!! 🙌🏼😳 IF, God forbid, I should ever, get in "the flesh," and, push Jesus out of the "driver's seat of my life," there is NO DOUBT that, the "car of my life" SHALL - CRASH AND BURN!! 😳🙏🏼 There's a funny post on 'Pinterest,' that says, "NOT THAT WHEEL, JESUS!!" And, the picture with it, shows a wheel (tire), which, has detached from the car, and, is rolling away from it!! 🤣 I've actually had that happen in my life, metaphorically speaking, of course!  And, usually, whenever, something like this "wheel deal," occurs with my "car of life," and/or, whenever, wrecks, slidings, speeding tickets, etc., occur while traveling on this "rode of life," "sad to say"...I am somehow to blame!! 😩😏🤣 IF, we "seemingly" lose control of "my car of life," it is ALWAYS - because of something, I have or have not, done!! 😏🤣 The following story was a GIGANTIC LEARNING AND GROWING SEASON in my life, and, is a personal example of, a Believer (me), attempting to "take the wheel," in a certain area of "the car of her (my) life," from Jesus, after she (I) knew better! 😩😔🤣 First of all, I KNEW that, David and I, were out of God's PERFECT WILL, for us!  And, although, we were NOT - ENTIRELY out of HIS WILL, and, HE WAS still using us, it was not in the capacity that, HE could have been, IF, we hadn't taken a wrong turn on our "TRIP OF LIFE/MINISTRY," which, ended up putting us on a "detour," away from HIS PERFECT area of, ministry and calling, in which, HE had "mapped out" (planned) for us!  So, "the old me," got to thinking! 😏  Then, before long, already knowing that, David (the "head" of our home, and, the God-called EVANGELIST) "seemed" to have "settled in," with traveling on the "detour" (being a pastor), I started "leaning to my own understanding," instead of, praying for God to, forgive and help us, to know, whatever we needed to know, and then, help us to do it!  All of that, along with me, "feeling" as though:  I needed to accomplish more personally (glorifying God, while making money, becoming successful, giving more, etc.), insecure, frustrated, I had something to prove to, myself and everyone else, ETC., had me, praying and seeking, for a business opportunity, in which, I could pursue, which, would have been GREAT - IF - it had been part of God's perfect plan for us! 😚 It was SURPRISINGLY easy for me to utilize my OLD (flesh/carnal) ways! 😳 Back, before David knew that, he was called to preach, and, before we had surrendered to full time  ministry, one of our many adult, survival endeavors, was a floor care business, in which, from various, successes and failures, while operating it, we learned various lessons - voluminously!! 🙈 So, back to the time when I was, praying and searching, for a business!  So, David's uncle just happened to be selling his (vacuum sales and service) business, which, he had opened twenty five years earlier, and, I saw this business opportunity as an answer to my prayers! 😳 Then, I convinced (one of my old ways, of which I wrote  previously) David that, we needed to purchase it - for me to work/run! 😏 And, we DID purchase it!  The first few years, I worked it, and, overall - enjoyed much of it, but, definitely not servicing the dirty vacs, sweepers, and shampooers!! Hehehe!! 🤣🤣🤣 I rarely serviced them!  I had David do it, and/or, I hired various qualified people to service them!  By the forth year, I hated being there, because, the majority of the business was in servicing machines!  David ended up working it a lot - for me - the last year that we had it - before we, thankfully, sold it! That, four to five year period, was TOUGH on both of us, as we dealt with, church and business, responsibilities and pressures, etc.!  IF, it had been a different kind of business, in which, I enjoyed, and, was interested, instead of sweepers, such as:  interior decorating or purses - for example, we'd probably still have it!  Each and every thing, that happened - during those five years of having that business, taught me something, and, since then, after serious reflection upon it, I am continually, gleaning and applying, the wisdom, from which, I derive, having gone through it!  Needless to say, it was not God's perfect will for us to purchase it!  However, we DID purchase it, as HE knew that, we would!  HE'S OMNISCIENT like that!! 📖🕊😚💜 Overall, it was a VERY FRUSTRATING experience, about which, at a certain point, I became very discouraged, feeling as though it would never end!  Retrospectively, I realize that, this was around the time, in which, ANXIETY began attacking me!  😫 The most significant LIFE LESSON, from which, I've  LEARNED, after having lived through all of this, is that, NOT staying in God's perfect will for me (as much as possible - to the best of my ability), causes me to deal with much more frustration, heartache, suffering, etc., than, I would have had to deal, IF, I had simply, waited for HIS answer, then, TRUSTED and OBEYED, HIM, "in the first place!"  GOD KNOWS WHAT IS BEST FOR ME, SO, from now on - I SHOULD be determined to, TRUST and OBEY, HIM!! 😚😘🙏🏼✝️💜 There are volumes of other lessons learned, in which, I could write about these matters (the "steerer" of my "car of life," and, "the sweeper business saga"), but, I'll have to do so on another post!  ☺️💖 A Peter Kreeft's quote says:  "A Saint takes his hands off the steering wheel of his life, and LETS GOD steer!" 😉🙏🏼✝️🚗🚗🚗...👋🏼...until next post...