Mom’s Taxi Cab
It’s been a while since I last posted; almost 5 months to be exact. Back in April, I turned on my “Mom’s taxi” sign and buckled myself into the role of chauffeur for my son. Between end of school events, golf tournaments, basketball games, summer camps and the social calendar of a teenager, I became one with my car! On a positive note, I know all the words to every KLOVE song currently playing on the radio :). But seriously, the numerous hours spent in the car with my son provided us with the prefect opportunity to talk and enjoy each other’s company. During this precious time of his life, as my son transitions from a boy into a young man, I received the rare gift of his thoughts, emotions and humor. We laughed, we cried, we dreamed, and we grew together. Yes the miles were endless, but the time we shared together was priceless.
In a few short years, he will be driving himself and the magical moments in which he opened up to me as we sped down the road will fade away into quick hugs, “see you later, mom” and shouted “I love you’s” as he rushes out the door and onto the next adventure. Yes, I will gain my lost freedom as he gains his, but simultaneously, I will lose those moments we shared with each other as I drove him to kingdom come and back again—and I will miss him terribly.
This makes me wonder if this is how Jesus feels about us. He wants to run our errands with us and to spend time with us just doing our everyday chores. He wants us to share our thoughts, our dreams, our frustrations with him. He wants to be our personal taxi driver on this road of life. He doesn’t just want to spend an hour of time with us or receive a quick hug and then watch the back of our heads as we run out the door; He wants to walk with us everywhere we go. In the Bible, he tells us that “unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven…” (Matthew 18: 1-5). To me, this means that Jesus expects us to let Him be our parent “taxi cab driver”—he wants us to rely on him just as a child relies on his parents to get him every where he needs to go. He wants us to trust him for all of our needs.
Thus, as I watch my son blossom into manhood, I realize with tears in my heart, that I must soon learn to let him go. But not quite yet, thankfully. So for now, I will grab my keys, and yell up the stairs that “this taxi is leaving” and he “better hurry up.” And even as I act irritated and maybe actually am at times, I will cherish the miles we spend in each other’s company and I will look to my heavenly Father to taxi us both down the road of life.