#MondayMotivation The Steering Wheel and the Recipe for Disaster

 

I'm in love with this podcast in general, and with this episode in particular.

I really related to everything Dr. Berthold had to say. If you don't have time to listen, which I really think you should, here's my summary of his steering wheels analogy. (But he says it so much better than me, so I suggest you go and give it a listen.)

He said that, as adults, we all have our own steering wheels and we have to keep our own hands firmly planted on our own steering wheels. Sometimes we're tempted to put our hands on our loved one's steering wheels, but, if they're adults--we can't do that. We can't try to rescue them, or steer them in a direction we want them to go. Besides, what happens if our hands are all over someone else's wheels? No one is driving our own life, and we're heading for disaster.

So, we can't let anyone else steer our wheels. Not our parents. Not our spouses. Not our kids. No one. We have to steer our own wheels and chart our own lives. Not just because it's what's best for us but also because it's best for them.

To often, as faithful children of God, we want our Heavenly Father to steer our wheels. This is a mistake. He can't steer our wheels. In fact, if we ask, he would tell us, "I gave you a map. You can call me at any time to ask for directions. I sent you faithful friends. I will sit here beside you as a passenger and talk you down this road, but I will not drive nor will I put my hands on the wheel.

This is my own summary of Dr. Berthold's counsel. 

What follows is a discussion I had with my daughter. I'm calling it the cake recipe for disaster. I can apply this analogy to soooo much that's wrong in my life.

 Sometimes, I work really hard. I come up with a recipe (or plan.) I sweat to buy all the ingredients. I line them all up on the counter, and then I say to God, "Look at how hard I've worked. I came up with a plan. I bought all these ingredients. Now, where's my cake? Can't you see how long and how hard I've worked to get here? I deserve my cake. Where's my cake? Other authors haven't written nearly as many books and  they're over there waving their forks around and shoveling double Dutch fudge into their mouths. I don't have to have the double Dutch fudge. I'd be okay with lemon poppyseed. Where's my cake?"

The sad truth is God really does help those who help themselves and keep their own hands on their own steering wheels. But it's also important to remember, the Bible tells us,

 I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.