“Stop the car!” I said. My teen daughter had managed to hit the gas and make the car lurch forward in first gear, but we were going a lot faster than I’d anticipated. It was her first driving lesson. We were in an almost empty parking lot at 8:00 a.m., but there were a few other vehicles around and I didn’t trust her steering skills.
“How do you stop?” she responded. “I don’t know what to do!’
“Hit the brake! Push down on the brake! With your foot!” I may or may not have been yelling.
The car finally jerked to a stop as the motor died. We both doubled over laughing with relief. Before explaining how to get the car into first gear, I’d shown her where the brake was, but it hadn’t occurred to me to demonstrate how to press down on it to stop the vehicle. Something second nature to me was not so obvious to her in a moment of panic.
Teaching kids to drive brings new meaning to the word “stress.” You’re trying desperately to remain calm, look calm, and speak calmly, while on the inside you’re screaming, “Help me, Jesus! If You don’t take the wheel, we may not make it!”
On the road, knowing how to hit the brakes at the right moment can save you.
Come to think of it, my mind can lurch out of control just like that runaway car.
My teen is out late, bills pile up, my to-do list overwhelms, and my mind gets into gear and takes off towards fear and worry faster than nobody’s business.
You probably have your own circumstances that send your mind down the worry trail.
- Your friend didn’t return your text, so you think she doesn’t care.
- The doctor’s office left a message, and you’re scared to call back.
- Your boss calls you to her office, and you wonder what’s up.
Trusting God flies out the window as your mind rushes down the track of doubt, dismay, and dread.
Sometimes we just need to put the brake on our thoughts to save ourselves.
For me, Isaiah 26:3-4 provides a good set of brakes. It shows me four steps to steer my runaway thoughts toward peace and trust.
1. Choose Trust.
The minute I find my mind going off on a bunny trail of worry, I can stop in my tracks and choose trust. I try to rehearse in my mind all the good reasons I have to trust God, both the truth I see in scripture, as well as the things He’s done for me in the past.
2. Fix your thoughts on God.
When we go to God’s Word, it renews our minds. Scripture will remind us of God’s faithfulness, wisdom, power, and love. God sees our situation, and He works all things for our good.
3. Choose Trust Again.
If you’re like me, the worry will come back. Turn that worry into a prayer and make a declaration of trust. Say it out loud to God: “Today, I will let go of worry, and I will trust that You are caring for me and my loved ones.”
4. Speak (or Sing) God’s Praise.
Isaiah speaks an affirmation of God’s trustworthiness: “The Lord God is the eternal Rock.” When we speak out God’s praise, we’re choosing belief and making an affirmation of His goodness.
Just like my daughter is learning how to use the brakes in a car, I’m learning how to put the brakes on runaway thoughts at the right time. Usually the quicker I stop worry and choose trust, the easier it is to get my thoughts back on the right track. Let’s put the brakes on worry and fear today.
Now it’s your turn: Do you ever have runaway thoughts that take you down the worry track? Which of these steps is most helpful for you?
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Yesterday on the way to work in the morning I was quoting that very same verse out loud! Your timing is perfect with this post, my friend:)
Oh Kristine, it’s been perfect for me too, let me tell ya! Praying for you, friend.
Good morning, Betsy! Your title grabbed me by the heart, recalibrated me right there and then. Choose trust, choose trust, choose trust.
Yes, as I pray for my family, as I hope for the best, this mantra will stay with me.
Trust. Trust. Trust.
Your message is timely for me today, friend. Bless you.
So glad this was timely for you, Linda. Praying for you now! Trust.
With boy #4 behind the wheel these days, this is a perfect memory aid for me. And I need to be reminded all the time that I do have a choice in what I allow to remain in my brain.
So hard to really grab hold of that, isn’t it? The fact that we have a choice. (Girl, I bet you could teach me a lot about teaching kids to drive!!!!)
And just as driving a car is a learned skill which takes time and practice and dedication, so is keeping our thoughts on and trust in God. Excellent reminder here, especially in the recurring chaos of our world. With trust comes peace, the perfect mindset!
Yes, you’re right, we can learn with practice AND dedication, to keep our thoughts towards God. I’m making small, imperfect progress here. 🙂
Well stated Betsy. I can still remember the patience my father had with me while teaching me to drive a stick shift as a teenager. So thankful for God’s patience and underserved grace now. I like your reminder to choose trust. I tend to speak or quote the truths of God’s Word to remind me to trust Him. I am still a work in progress but I am learning to choose trust over worrying. That puts it in God’s hands. There is no one better to trust. Thanks again for sharing. Blessings to you and yours as you serve the Lord abroad.
Thanks so much, Horace. I’m thankful for my dad’s patience with me too! I don’t know how he stayed so calm. Yes, you’re right, we have no one more trustworthy than God.
Oh my! I am so laughing through this post, mainly due to the fact that I am also teaching my daughter to drive. And I may or may not yell a few things as well. Trust God. Yesssss. Go get ’em, Betsy.
Thanks, Kristi! I KNOW you can relate, Girl!
Amen! I remember teaching my sons to drive. Yikes! Somehow we all made it through that experience.
Isaiah is a beautiful illustration of how to trust God especially in those moments when we need to apply the brakes quickly. Thank you for the lesson you provided. Praying you through any teenage years you have left!! 🙂
Thanks, Mary! I actually adore having teens. They’re the best. 🙂 It’s just teaching them to drive that’s the problem!
I loved the link you made with stopping the car and putting the brake on when our anxious thoughts are threatening to spiral out of control. I am very good at letting my thoughts run away with me. These verse are a great reminder to stop and focus on God.
Dear Betsy, what a terrific analogy! Isaiah’s exhortation has been a watchword for me for a long time. Our pastor used to tell us that we may not always be able to control what thoughts come to mind, that doesn’t mean we have to give them a happy home. It’s a studio apartment with only room for one, either Jesus or foreboding. Prayers for safety on the road and a blessed day.
I used this exact same verse to think through how to stop worrying recently. Forcing my mind to stop worrying and trust.
Yes, I’ve been thinking about this verse a lot lately. It’s so clear! Blessings to you, Rachel!
Yup, I’m claiming this verse, too! Thanks so much! And thank you for your call the other day. We’ve been on vacation and without a strong cell phone connection. I look forward to catching up!❤️
Glad you’ve been on vacation, Jenny. I look forward to talking sometime! May the Lord bless you and your family, your ministry, friend!
So true, Betsy. We can know where our peace lies and yet never access it! I’m glad y’all ended up laughing through this mom moment….I’m not always laughing when I teach my kiddos to drive! 😀 oops.
I’m SURE you could teach me a thing or two about giving driving lessons, Lisa! And yes to going straight to our source of peace. (Now if I could just do that when my thoughts are all out of control!)
Betsy,
Your post really echoes with what I’ve been through lately….having to choose trust – to look back over my life and take inventory of how God has been faithful to bring me through the trials. Then fix my eyes firmly on Him and the Truth in His Word. I like how you put go back and choose trust a second time. It speaks to how we waver as humans. No matter what though, we need to sing out His praises….Even if….
Blessings,
Bev xx
Oh yes, Bev, I’m a waverer for sure! Choosing trust, then wavering towards worry, then choosing trust. I think choosing trust again might need to be steps 5,6, and 7. 🙂 Praying for you now, friend.
Amen, Betsy! I appreciate your suggestions! I was having runaway worries this morning and did something I’ve recently begun doing in such instances- taking my arm and hurling invisible worry away. It reminds me to live out 1 Peter 5:7!
I love that action step; sometimes something like that makes it more real and concrete in our minds, doesn’t it? Great idea!
Isaiah 26:3 is my theme verse for this year. It has helped me find peace exactly when I need it. I’m going to leave the driver’s lessons to my husband though. He’s cool under pressure while I disintegrate. Sharing this post on social media!
Thanks for sharing this, Sarah! I’m letting my husband take over too. Interestingly, he does better at the beginning; I do better at letting them drive me around town for practice later. 🙂
Love that illustration of putting the brakes on our fear! (my kids aren’t driving age yet but I can only imagine!!!) Teaching others (and myself ) to put the brakes on my fear is something that is a continual work in progress – like the act of choosing to renew our minds in Him!
Blessing today
Yes, I think it’s a three steps forward, two back kind of learning for me. I’m making slow progress. Blessings to you too!
Teaching a teen to drive…WOW! what a daunting task and a perfect example for trust in the One Who teaches me everything, only that I should allow Him! I find great benefit in having Him give me those initial lessons and then walks with me as I meander those ways to the goal. Yet, I find that my independence gets in the way and stifles my learning, His willing hand on my life.
Thanks for this today.
Caring through Christ, ~ linda
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Linda. Yes He does walk with us, even when we take off down the bunny trails. He never leaves our side. 🙂
Love your steps. Choose Trust. Choose trust again. Often we have to go back and choose trust again and again. We have to quit picking up our worries and keeping them to ourselves.
Teaching teens to drive is a whole new stressor for me. So I let my husband do it. He is much calmer than I would be.
Yes, Theresa, my husband is much better than I am as well! And yes, “Choose trust again” is something I need to repeat over and over. As well as “Praise God some more!”
Love how you broke this verse down, Betsy! Too often I need that reminder to choose trust again. Thank you for the encouragement to put the brake on my worrisome thoughts.