Shifting Gears in the Land of Confusion
There was a song back in the day called “Land of Confusion” by the band Genesis. This tune popped in my head the other day when I got behind the wheel of our Jeep. You see, this Jeep is almost “old timey” and has an honest to goodness manual transmission. Driving a stick shift has become a possible land of confusion for the next generations because cars, like so many other things, have become more automatic.
It’s important to me to teach my boys how to drive a car with a clutch. Or a tractor. Or a truck. Anything that requires shifting gears based on engine rpm’s, load, or terrain. I want them to know how to navigate with their knowledge and senses. I’m not sure how much longer anything with a manual transmission will be around but it’s important to me that they at least know and have that experience. That’s why they putter around the driveway in the Jeep and jump at the chance to drive the tractor and work its levers and pedals.
The driver’s seat of a manual transmission car could easily be the land of confusion if you have never been there. There are 3 pedals on the floor instead of two. There’s a gear shift that has numbers in a certain pattern that looks a bit intimidating. Shoot, one of the first trucks I ever drove had the gearshift coming out of the steering column! Talk about learning as I went!
The fact is that it’s really important to know how to shift gears. Even on automatic transmission vehicles you can sometimes select a certain gear when situations or conditions warrant. It’s good to know what gears are for, when to use them, and the what happens when you do! Even on bicycles it’s important to know how to use your gears. Your comfort and speed depend on it!
When I drive our Jeep it’s like a little dance to get it down the road. I can pull away from a stop sign and I can sense when to change gears by listening to the engine. Trust me, if I let it in one gear too long it just gets louder but doesn’t go any faster! It has a sweet spot where you can move through the gears and as long as your muscle memory in your left foot and right hand is on point you can do it pretty smoothly. It might seem like a lot is going on if you aren’t used to a manual transmission-equipped vehicle but it’s oddly satisfying and extremely engaging to go down the road shifting gears!
Shifting gears gives you a sense of authority and control over your travel. That’s a lot of responsibility but it also brings a sense of freedom. Maybe people gravitate towards automatic transmission vehicles because it does a lot of the thinking and work for us? And when people consistently choose automatics over manuals the manufacturers will choose whatever makes them money and efficiency! Maybe I’m just overthinking the plight of the manual transmission vehicle. But all of this changing gears talk has me thinking about how we perceive changing gears with God.
God is the author of changing gears. Specifically our gears. Now we might not always recognize that or even give Him credit. In fact, I would say many of us are happiest when we get to choose one gear and stay in it! But God selects gears for us to follow Him and grow through him and that is, in the world’s perspective, oddly satisfying and extremely engaging. When we seek Him in all of our circumstances we can expect to move through gears. Not all gears are easy or what we want but they hinge on trusting God. God loves you, you know that right? It’s important to move through gears with God because these are the days He has us living within. It’s not an accident; He actually wanted you and I to live at this moment of time!
At this moment of time I think it’s important to know Jesus and have our gears shifted. We shouldn’t just sit back and let life go by automatically. Some might say that God should go the way of the manual transmission and eventually fade away into the rear-view mirror. I believe there’s still a place for stick-shifts and Jesus; We just have to put the effort into knowing who God is and what He’s up to…even if it’s just a Bible verse that helps us in a little conversation in a day. Our attitude and approach to the day reflect how, and if, we let God shift our gears.
Manual transmissions are few and far between but they are still out there, moving along with all the automatic ones. My hope is that we, you and I, allow God to shift us through all of the gears as we live among others. I hope that we don’t choose to stay in gears of our own choosing. My prayer is that we find comfort and peace through the process of changing gears and that our testimony and response brings others to Him. Life is too precious to be stuck in gears that ultimately aren’t going to get us anywhere. Don’t let life be automated. Don’t dig into a gear that God isn’t in.
