Before I could get my driver’s license, my parents had a rule: I had to learn to drive a stick shift (manual transmission). They wanted to ensure I could drive any vehicle in any part of the world! I spent countless afternoons in empty parking lots, learning how to release the clutch and press the gas just enough to propel the burgundy 1990 Ford Ranger forward. I also remember the cries of frustration, screams of fear and joyous celebration that accompanied a successful and smooth entry into first gear. I passed my parents’ driving test and was allowed to get my license.
Several weeks later, I was behind the wheel of “Ranger,” the newly printed license in my wallet, my confidence soaring after tasting the newfound freedom of driving myself when I approached a stoplight that connected hilly South Boundary and Whiskey Road. I approached the stoplight and came to a stop halfway up the very steep hill. A nervous pit formed in my stomach when I realized the options before me. I could roll back and bump into the car behind me, I could stall out in the long line of cars, or I could somehow, by the grace of God, actually release the clutch and hit the gas just right and take off. The light turned green; I released the clutch, gave it a lot of gas, and the Ranger leaped into first gear! It was a miracle! My euphoria was temporary. The light quickly cycled from green to yellow to red. I moved 15 feet to the front of the line, but I was stuck on the same hill waiting for a green light. When the light cycled back to green, I released the clutch, hit the gas and stalled out!
Given the new mask mandate, it feels as if we have stalled out. We have been waiting to return to a sense of normalcy, regain a sense of freedom and have a new start! For months we have been waiting to hit the gas and take off into the next season of life together: a new school year, new in-person work guidelines, new worship schedules and renewed family gatherings. But it seems we are learning what we have known the entire time. Life is a series of stops and starts. It’s never either-or, no matter how much we try to convince ourselves that is true. I pray that we give one another a bit of grace, for we all handle stalling out a bit differently. It’s never fun, we would prefer not to do it, and we are ready to hit the gas and get started again!
That afternoon, when the light finally circled back to green, I restarted the truck, gave her more gas than needed and peeled through the intersection. Prayers, my dear friends, that our restart will be a bit smoother than that!
Love and light to you all this day.
