A Frigid Steering Wheel

O nations of the world, recognize the Lord;
….recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong.
Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Psalm 96:7-8a NLT

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One thing that I notice on my bus every day this time of year is how cold my steering wheel is first thing in the morning! There have already been several mornings this winter, where our “feel like” temperature has been in the single digits. Though we can throttle up our buses and let them run for several minutes, diesel buses especially, do not warm up well.

I can’t speak for other drivers, but I wear a glove on cold days on my right hand which is closest to the door that opens and closes multiple times. I don’t like wearing one on my left hand because it’s too hard to scratch my nose or get something out of my eye with a glove on. So, when I grab the steering wheel, my right hand is fine, but it is absolutely frigid in my left hand!

It starts out that way but after a while the heat from my hand, a balmy 97 point something usually, warms up that portion of the steering wheel. And as long as I don’t move it too much – we’re supposed to keep our hands at 9:00 and 3:00 for the greatest control – it is no longer frigid but instead is warm to the touch.

My body temperature is the overriding power in this situation. If I had no heat on the bus and all the windows were open, the outside temperature would eventually affect my body temperature but since that is not the case, my body temperature impacts the steering wheel and not the other way around.

You may be wondering. “Where is he going with this?” Well, let me tell you!

As followers of Jesus, when we live our lives out amongst the world, we have His warmth running through us all the time. As long as we are in a relationship with Him, the cold world in which we live cannot impact us…we instead impact the world.

Most of you know that before I began driving a school bus, I worked at the same Kohl’s Department Store for 18 years. As with all things new, when I started there, it took a little while for people to warm up to me. Over time I developed several cherished relationships with my fellow workers. Many of those who allowed me to “touch” them in caring interaction, became dear friends.

Over the years I have been privileged to be a pastor to some. I have officiated marriages as well as funerals. When we began online services with COVID, a few, from what I lovingly referred to as my third church, began attending our virtual services. They call me with prayer requests and we all, as the body of Christ, gather around them and pray for one another.

What was once cold, by no choice of our own – it’s just the way things were – has now become warm. Indifference for many has become relationships of compassion, they care for me, and I care for them. And all because of Jesus! His love for me readily transferred through me to them. And truly we are all the better for it!

Lord Jesus, may we diligently maintain our relationship with You as we reach out and touch the world. Use us to love others. When we strive to love You with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, we can surely love others as we love ourselves (Luke 10:27). Amen.

Jan 23^rd, 2022, Sun, 7:37 pm