Time for a painful admission. Some of you already know, but I'll go ahead and air my dirty laundry for everyone: I failed. I failed the pre-trip inspection prior to taking my CDL driven test. I am still not legally able to drive the 21 passenger bus with which we are blessed. How did I fail, you might ask? I wasn't exact enough with my descriptions of what potential problems I was looking for. Example: I said that I would need to check the fuel tank for possible leaks. The test administrator said I failed to mention that I needed to check that the fuel tank was secured to the vehicle. What are they thinking? Safety. Hmm, good call on their part. I suppose most of you parents who may be entrusting your children to me on that bus one day (Lord willing I pass) are thinking, I would like for the person driving my son/daughter to know whether or not the fuel tank is securely attached to the bus. I understand those sentiments.
What am I thinking? I'm thinking I just got a fresh whiff of that classic cologne they call "real life." See, I'm no longer in the world of "you get an A for effort," or "you were better than everyone else," or "you've got the rest of the semester to bring it up." I can't win in real life by cramming late at night and get by with just enough. The spiritual point? We can't treat big deals (like safety) the same way we treat more trivial matters (like for me, grades). Are we guilty of this as Christians? I'm afraid we are sometimes.
When it comes to our children, I'm afraid we too often equate "raising our children in the Lord" (Eph. 6:4) to helping them get a good scholarship or pushing them to be a star athlete. Those latter things are often great pursuits for todays teens. However, if our mental approach to the bigger fish for frying is the same as those in-the-end trivial matters, we may have some serious regrets. See, I get a second chance to take my pre-trip inspection and road driven tests. We don't always get second chances though. When it comes to raising children, for example, we don't get second chances once they receive their complimentary bottle of the "real life" fragrance. The true test of success as parents is how children are when they are adults. The true test for the effectiveness of the youth program here at Midway is the spiritual faithfulness of children once they move on from the ranks of the youth.
As Christians, as the church, and as people, we need to own up to the responsibilities with which we have been entrusted. We need to do a much better job of preparing for the first time for some things. Preparation for some of lifes biggest tests can't be done in second chance mode. The most notable of those is the Judgment Day (Matt. 25). When it all comes down to it, weve simply got to do it...and do it right...the first time...every time.
As the Youth Minister here, I promise to treat spiritual opportunities for your child with grave seriousness, for I know their lives are precious to you and their souls are precious to the Lord. May we all work together to make the big deals bigger and the lesser matters lesser. Thanks for all of your support and encouragement, God bless.
Author's note: I passed the CDL pre-trip inspection and driven test a couple of weeks following the article. I'm legal now.
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