Adventures in Car Washing, Kelli Zaniel

I suppose a drive-through car wash is the “new lazy,” but for a mom it works. It is a win- win situation; a crowd pleaser. It serves as 3 minutes of pure joy for kids. For moms, it is 3 minutes we don’t have to worry about scrubbing dried cheerios off the floor or who’s coloring a new mural on the dining room wall. We can hit the pause button on our day, even if it is for a few short minutes.

On this particular day, this stressed out mom enters a car wash.

I hear the car lightly humming;

Brushes swooshing;

Soap bubbling; and

Water spraying.

The wheels of my car roll onto the ramp as I switch gears from drive to neutral. I take a deep breath, stretch out my legs, and lean back for a much needed break.

The conveyor device then moves the car along at an even pace. The overhead tubes sputter and spray watery soap over the car as it begins to move. Foamy bubbles smear themselves across the windshield making it impossible to see. The next several feet are uncertain. I know I am moving but my view is distorted. I hear the robotic arms cleaning and swishing but I cannot see them.

In the midst of a hair-pulling, stressed out day, God speaks. The Creator of Universe puts me into neutral for 3 precious moments. Everything else seems to fade away as I listen for His words.

God whispers, “I am in control, not you. You need to trust me.” He reminds me that when I try and control my circumstances, my circumstances usually end up controlling me. When I forget God is in control, things fall apart. I fall apart.

God is like the conveyor belt. He moves me safely through life’s obstacles even when I can’t see two feet in front of me. He controls the pace. He controls where my journey begins, where it ends and all the times in between.

When soapy bubbles block our view, will we trust God? When it’s our turn to pull forward onto the conveyor device, will we zip around it in our own strength instead? Or will we park our cars in neutral, take our hands off the wheel, and let God move us?

“But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today,” Exodus 14:13 (NLT).