“Hop In”
I had a sick feeling in my stomach. My hands were sweaty and I could barely hear the voice over the beat of the heart pounding in my chest. I won’t lie, I was nervous as he asked me to “hop in the car.” I took a deep breath and stepped into the passenger side of the State Trooper’s patrol vehicle. After I sat down the Trooper told me to make sure I was buckled in good. Those words made me more than a little uncomfortable. No, I wasn’t getting a speeding ticket but participating in some specialized high speed driving as part of my law enforcement training. Once I was buckled in, we were racing around the track at unbelievable speeds. I had never gone that fast before, especially in curves. It felt as if the car was going to come out from under us at any moment and we would spin out of control crashing into the trees. This dude driving was crazy, I thought! It took me a while to catch my breath, and to trust the instructor, but once I did it was awesome and a time that I will never forget. I’m so glad that I got in the car for that wild ride.
I was watching a movie with my son a week or so ago and was reminded of my high-speed experience. We were watching the movie Transformers, which is about these cars and trucks that turn or transform into robots. Of course, there are good transformers and bad ones and the movie is about the classic battle of good and evil. The main character, early in the movie is terrified to learn that his car is a transformer. The boy and a friend of his watch as his car has a fierce battle with another transformer. After watching his car defeat the other transformer, it drives over and opens the door asking them to “hop in.” One of the characters asks the question, “ Do you think we should get in?” Then the boy responded by saying, “If you don’t, in 50 years you’ll look back and wish you had the guts to get in that car.”
What a statement! I think we all, no matter what age, wished we had done some things that we were asked to do for God’s glory, but didn’t for some reason or other. I’m not talking about just anything, but those things that the Holy Spirit put on our heart. If you are a believer you know what I’m talking about. You know, the time that you felt overwhelmed to help someone or to talk to someone about his or her faith, and didn’t. Do you remember the time that you felt the urges in your heart to join a small group at church? The time you almost said that you would teach a class or help the youth group. The time that you were asked to give your testimony but didn’t because you were afraid. The thoughts you had of starting some kind of ministry, but convinced yourself that no one would be interested and you weren’t good enough. I’ve sure had those feelings in my life, more times than I care to admit. I’ve often chosen to watch instead of ride with Jesus, so to speak. We have opportunities to get in and ride with Him, but don’t for all kinds of reasons.
We may often wish that we could go back and do some of those things that we turned down or rejected, but guess what? I can hear the gravel popping under the tires as the 4-wheel drive comes down the dirt road and is headed your way. What are you gonna do when the truck stops this time, and the door opens and you hear the voice of Jesus saying “hop in.” I can bet that your hands will be sweaty and your heart will pound in your chest. You may even think that the driver is crazy asking you to go along. After all, you and I are not equipped to do big-time “Jesus stuff.” No, we’re not, but He is and He wants to use you to glorify Him. He gave you your personality, your likes and dislikes, your skills and abilities. He can even use all that bad stuff from our past to bring others to Him. Who knows where that truck will take you along life’s highway? Have the guts to get in. God has a great adventure mapped out, if you’ll trust Him and hop in. If you do decide to get in, you won’t regret it. So lock in the hubs and buckle up, man, it’s gonna be a wild ride!
I had a sick feeling in my stomach. My hands were sweaty and I could barely hear the voice over the beat of the heart pounding in my chest. I won’t lie, I was nervous as he asked me to “hop in the car.” I took a deep breath and stepped into the passenger side of the State Trooper’s patrol vehicle. After I sat down the Trooper told me to make sure I was buckled in good. Those words made me more than a little uncomfortable. No, I wasn’t getting a speeding ticket but participating in some specialized high speed driving as part of my law enforcement training. Once I was buckled in, we were racing around the track at unbelievable speeds. I had never gone that fast before, especially in curves. It felt as if the car was going to come out from under us at any moment and we would spin out of control crashing into the trees. This dude driving was crazy, I thought! It took me a while to catch my breath, and to trust the instructor, but once I did it was awesome and a time that I will never forget. I’m so glad that I got in the car for that wild ride.
I was watching a movie with my son a week or so ago and was reminded of my high-speed experience. We were watching the movie Transformers, which is about these cars and trucks that turn or transform into robots. Of course, there are good transformers and bad ones and the movie is about the classic battle of good and evil. The main character, early in the movie is terrified to learn that his car is a transformer. The boy and a friend of his watch as his car has a fierce battle with another transformer. After watching his car defeat the other transformer, it drives over and opens the door asking them to “hop in.” One of the characters asks the question, “ Do you think we should get in?” Then the boy responded by saying, “If you don’t, in 50 years you’ll look back and wish you had the guts to get in that car.”
What a statement! I think we all, no matter what age, wished we had done some things that we were asked to do for God’s glory, but didn’t for some reason or other. I’m not talking about just anything, but those things that the Holy Spirit put on our heart. If you are a believer you know what I’m talking about. You know, the time that you felt overwhelmed to help someone or to talk to someone about his or her faith, and didn’t. Do you remember the time that you felt the urges in your heart to join a small group at church? The time you almost said that you would teach a class or help the youth group. The time that you were asked to give your testimony but didn’t because you were afraid. The thoughts you had of starting some kind of ministry, but convinced yourself that no one would be interested and you weren’t good enough. I’ve sure had those feelings in my life, more times than I care to admit. I’ve often chosen to watch instead of ride with Jesus, so to speak. We have opportunities to get in and ride with Him, but don’t for all kinds of reasons.
We may often wish that we could go back and do some of those things that we turned down or rejected, but guess what? I can hear the gravel popping under the tires as the 4-wheel drive comes down the dirt road and is headed your way. What are you gonna do when the truck stops this time, and the door opens and you hear the voice of Jesus saying “hop in.” I can bet that your hands will be sweaty and your heart will pound in your chest. You may even think that the driver is crazy asking you to go along. After all, you and I are not equipped to do big-time “Jesus stuff.” No, we’re not, but He is and He wants to use you to glorify Him. He gave you your personality, your likes and dislikes, your skills and abilities. He can even use all that bad stuff from our past to bring others to Him. Who knows where that truck will take you along life’s highway? Have the guts to get in. God has a great adventure mapped out, if you’ll trust Him and hop in. If you do decide to get in, you won’t regret it. So lock in the hubs and buckle up, man, it’s gonna be a wild ride!
Jeremy B. Harrill
PS – I know that Jesus had to have been a good ole’ boy because he hung around fishermen all the time. That’s why I can imagine Him in a 4 -wheel drive. I bet he would even have a horn on that truck just like the one in the General Lee from The Dukes of Hazzard. Duh na nuh nuh nuh , nuh nuh nuh nuh na !!!!
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