When Did You Take the Reins?

     I grew up on the dirt roads of Vermont, with the hills of the green mountains surrounding us on all sides. It was there that I learned how to drive, often scaring my mother to death when I seemed to get too close to the trenches that lined each side of the road. I was about seven years old when I had my first experience at the wheel of the car. We were on our way home after getting ice cream, and my brother had his neighbor friend with him in the back seat. I must have been sitting between my parents in the station wagon, which we could do back in those days. When we were almost to our dead end street, my dad asked me if I wanted to drive. Sure, that sounded like fun, so I climbed onto his lap and took the wheel. My little legs could not reach the pedals of course, but he, being a very wise dad, was not going to give me the opportunity to take complete control of the vehicle. If he did I might not be here to tell this story! I do recall hearing the boys in the back yelling, "Get down! She is going to crash!" as they dove onto the floor of the car. I could not imagine why they were making such a big deal of my driving because I thought I was doing a great job! Little did I know, but my dad was keeping a close hand on the steering wheel so we did not end up in the ditch. Here I was thinking I had complete control of the car, but in reality I was just sitting in a completely different place in the car and still did not have control of anything. My father was going to make sure we all stayed safe. 
        I got to thinking about all this last Sunday when Pastor K was leading Sunday School. He made the comment, "When did you take control of the reins?" and I was inspired. :)  Psalm 139:13-16 (KJV) says, "For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them."
        I have always loved these verses. It shows the beauty of a baby growing inside a mother's womb, and I always held to it, knowing that even though I could not see what was going on inside, God was in control of my baby. It clearly states that the Lord is in control the second you were conceived. Even before a woman knows she is carrying a child, God already knows what that baby is going to look like:  his hair, the color of this eyes, what size feet he is going to have, etc. He has a book that has all this information written down and even when the growing process is not completed yet, He has everything planned out perfectly. He already knows the choices we are going to make in life, whether we are going to choose Him or take the world's way. He knows the trials and temptations the devil is going to place in our path to try to lead us away from His perfect way. He already knows the way we will spend our last few breaths on this earth. 
        As we mature and become adults, we think we have complete control of our lives, but in reality, He is there keeping His hand on the wheel of our life. He may let us steer the way we want, and in His wisdom He may even let us crash into the ditch of destruction so we can learn a lesson or two, but He will never leave His spot of watching over us. He is simply waiting for us to throw up our hands, after trying so hard to do it on our own, and give Him back the control of the reins. Let go and let God.     

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