Jesus Took the Wheel

The other day I was riding in the car with my mother when we almost got t-boned by another car running the red light. I managed to do some Dukes of Hazzard - type maneuvers while simultaneously thinking about the damage to the cars, the insurance, the cops, and possible injury.

Fortunately, the typical Boston driver didn’t hit us and my mother responded with, “Thank you Jesus! Thank Jesus we didn’t get into an accident!” Admittedly I was a taaaad bit annoyed that my mother didn’t acknowledge my driving skills, so I said “You know, I had something to do with that.” She responds ”But it was God telling you what to do.” Hmm.

Let me be clear before I go on, I’m not vying for my mother’s praise with God/Jesus but it does make me think Why is it that the good things that happen are attributed to God and the bad things are our own faults?

I’m not debating this issue as much as I am posing a question. The southern baptist guilt I was raised with, has me feeling like I’m being egotistical by wanting to hear that I did something good. Am I wrong?

To be honest, my arms are way too short to box with God (this post is just full of entertainment references). I get that I’m not ultimately in control.

If we are earthy representations of the Divine, then there most likely was some Godly guidance behind my arms and hands that day.

I believe the inclination to reserve all praise for the Higher Power (and those we have deified), is conditioning. We've been programmed to put all of our faith and worship into a Higher Being and to continuously judge ourselves for not matching up. We do have God-like qualities but to say so is considered blasphemous. This is disempowering.

Maybe listening to the guidance we are given from our Higher Selves is a display of our God Genius and acknowledging that we ALL possess this ability is the humility that keeps us from feeling unworthy of having it.

So I guess by patting myself on the back for my driving skills, I’m ultimately thanking God. So maybe my mother was right.