Driving Me Glad 

This article is an extension of an analogy our minister, Rev Joe, used in a recent sermon. It seeks to compare driving a car to our developing relationship with Jesus.
I am sure most of us can think back to when we started taking driving lessons. Aside from a few lessons taken when I was 17, I learnt to drive at the relatively late age of 22 or 23 when studying at university. I can recall both the anticipation and excitement of learning to drive. I remember also the ties of despondency when I just could not seem to get my legs and arms working in the right order! I was told there are four stages we go through as we get to grips with driving a car.
Stage One: Unconscious Incompetence
Before we actually sit in the driver’s seat and turn the ignition key, we cannot possibly understand the skills we need to develop in order to drive. We will have seen others drive and, perhaps idly, watched from the passenger seat as the driver changed gear or flicked the indicator; the bottom line is that, at this stage, we have no idea what it is like to drive.
Stage Two: Conscious Incompetence
As we start to tentatively use a clutch, clumsily change gears (and drive the car at no more than 5 mph!), we quickly get a feel for how hard it is to drive and how hopeless we are at it.
Stage Three: Conscious Competence
After much practice, we start to recognise that we are truly driving the car and getting better at it. However, we still need to think very carefully about the order in which we do things. Our instructor still has to remind us to think ahead and prepare for the next actions needed.
Stage Four: Unconscious Competence
Finally (often way after we have passed our driving test), we arrive at a point where decisions on when to change gear, when to slow down/speed up are made without thinking. Decision-making comes naturally.
We can apply these four stages to a Christian life.
Stage One represents the person who does not think about religion or realise their lives are poorer for not knowing God. Stage Two is when we realise our sins and shortcomings, have acknowledged that to God and have started the process of praying and reading the bible.
In Stage Three we know we have much more to learn and still have habits that need to be reviewed and eliminated but we can see that we are becoming a better person for walking with Jesus/God.
By Stage Four, we are doing more of the right things (taking time to be with people, volunteering for jobs that need doing etc) automatically. Basically, we are behaving more like Jesus, without thinking about it because reading the bible and praying has brought us closer to him.
Of course, driving and our relationship with God both develop as we go through life. There is no such thing as the perfect driver and we will never be perfect in God’s eyes. My recent attendance at a speed awareness course - taken after I inadvertently drove at 38mph in a 30mph zone - tells me that I still need to improve on aspects like concentration. I have learnt that I need to start using the concept of verbal commentary to keep me alert when driving. Equally, I am still discovering new insights from reading the bible but constantly slipping back into bad habits and thoughts. In truth, I guess I am constantly sliding between levels two and four above! But that is the reality of our lives – we need to keep working at being better with the help of Jesus.