It was easy to draw the quick conclusion. He did not fit the pattern. His age (far too young), family interests (everything but the subject at hand), and other demographic marker said he should not know his cars. However, he knew and had a view!
The ultimate telltale emerged on the way home. There were two cars parked along the street ahead. One, a bright red two door sports coup was showing off with custom wheels, an aftermarket aero package, and custom exhaust pipes. If a car could talk without a driver, this one was screaming I’m fast, fun, and furious. The other was a small, four door hatchback with stock everything. This car was strangely quiet. It was not saying much, if anything at all.
“Which one would you like to drive if you had a license?” The question was clearly hypothetical because it would be at least 10 years until he qualified anywhere! It was also a subtle test of his knowledge.
Without hesitating, “the grey one of course.”
He then launched into spec differences and ended with the simple observation; “drivers suggest it is the experience behind the wheel which tells the real story.”
I am reminded of the differ versions of God I have heard over the years. Many were presented as factual certainties. After hearing the variations and see the actions of the believers, I was lost. The lesson I continue to learn is a simple one.
Understand what is on the inside of the package before you choose. Take the time to dig into the meaning, understand the content, before forming a view.
Learn to learn. Find a way of learning which opens you up to a grounded more. The choice of who and what you embrace is yours and yours alone and it should be taken seriously. Being in the company of others on the quest can help.
Ask yourself the question, “do outcomes match the rhetoric?” There is a story waiting; “Stand in awe of God’s Yes. Oh, how he blesses the one who fears God!” (Psalm 128.4)
