L I F E W I R E

by Kelly Moran

for 26 July 1995

Student Driver

Police chief Mike Sielicki was driving his squad car through the streets of Colebrook, New Hampshire, when he came upon a sight that surprised him.

"I was at a stop sign when the guy with me said, `Hey, there's a little kid driving that car!'" Sure enough, the car was being driven by a 7-year-old boy.

Sielicki didn't want to scare the first-grader, so he followed the car for two blocks without using his siren. When the car pulled safely to a stop at a busy intersection, the police chief walked up to the car's window.

Sielicki said, "He looked at me and said, 'I was going to be late for school.'" The chief drove the boy back home. "On the way," Sielicki said, "he asked if he could drive the cruiser."

Meanwhile, a few blocks away, Karen Mercier approached the place where she had parked her car. There, in the otherwise empty parking space, was a little boy's bicycle.

She said, "If I see that bike again, I'm going to lock the car."

I would also suggest she take the keys this time.

Keys to Good Driving

Now, I know that good 7-year-old boys shouldn't be driving off with the cars of other citizens. Seven-year-olds shouldn't be driving, not even in a small town.

And I'm glad the boy didn't get any worse punishment for his crime. (Except for what his parents did when the police chief dropped him off at his front door.) I'm especially glad no one got hurt!

However, Karen Mercier should have known better. On some level, she shares some responsibility for what happened. Not many first-graders can hot-wire a car. If the keys hadn't been in the unlocked car, the boy wouldn't have driven off with it.

So, she says she will watch out for that little bike. Maybe we should post pictures of the little tike so that everyone could watch for him.

Or maybe we should just take the keys out and lock the doors when we leave our cars.

Keep Watch

Spiritually, we have the responsibility to make sure our lives are in order before the end comes. Just as you shouldn't wait until the car is stolen to start locking it, you can't afford to delay your Spiritual growth.

"Therefore keep watch," Jesus said, "because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into." (Matthew 24:42-43)

In the same way, if the woman had known a 7-year-old would drive off with her car, she would have locked it. Doesn't it make more sense to practice a little preventative safety? "Keep watch," Jesus says.

Jesus asks that we practice a type of Spiritual preventative medicine. We are asked to be continually on watch for Jesus' return.

On the other hand, some live as if to say, "If I see that bike again, I'm going to lock the car." Spiritually speaking they say, "When Jesus returns, I'll put my house in order."

Obviously, it'll be too late, and that's the message of Matthew 24.

"So you also must be ready," Jesus continued, "because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." (Matthew 24:44)

Are you ready? If He returned to the earth today, would you be ready to meet Him in the air? I'm not asking if you're mistake-proof. I'm asking if you've been reclaimed by Jesus as one of His own.

"Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people." (Luke 1:68)

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All Scripture references are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version (unless otherwise noted).