Pushing the Clutch Pedal!

What's on my mind? Pushing the clutch pedal! I am forever thankful that my first car was a '68 VW Bug. My dad bought it to travel to seminary (which I mistakenly called 'cemetery' the entire time he was there - I was eight years old. He traveled from Carmi, Illinois to Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in KY each week. He paid $1,500 for it. I remember offering to pay for the car because I heard the $15 part, not the hundred part. Hey, I had a savings account - I've got this, Dad!!

We moved to Oklahoma for Dad's first call as a pastor and when my sister was a senior in high school, she actually taught me to drive this car. We'd head to the Sonic via the main street drag. She'd drive, and when she put in the clutch, I'd switch gears left-handed from the passenger seat. This allowed me to develop the ear needed to recognize when the engine was asking for more power, where the gears were located on the "H", and the rhythm required to actually switch gears, without having to focus on the other aspects of driving. [Ask me sometime about learning where 4th gear was and me slipping right into 2nd!! Oops!] Thanks, Pam, that's one of my favorite memories of us!!

I drove that car through high school, college, and into graduate school (1977 - 1989). After that, I drove stick shifts from 1989 - 2010. I honestly believe I never caused an accident nor was I in a car accident while driving a stick shift because I was more involved in driving the car. My focus was always on the energy of the car and managing it in order to have a smooth and safe ride.

In 2010, I purchased an automatic transmission car, and was sad to see my stick shift days come to an end, and yet - this car has a clutch-less shift mechanism that allows me to downshift to enable the car to slow down in tight places or when entering an uphill climb or merging into high speed traffic and I need more power from the car. I LOVE this feature of the car and I use it EVERY SINGLE DAY!

Central Arkansas is very hilly and having this feature allows me to maneuver very smoothly in awkward places where perhaps my speed has increased more than I anticipated (downhill) and stepping on the brakes would not be the best solution. TIP: I rarely use my brake to manage the full extent of slowing down. There's a smoother way that eases the car down, saves gas, and gives me more driving control. It also consumes my full attention in the driving process - again, no accidents.

Why the car talk? Well, I just read a beautiful reminder in Sarah Young's "Jesus Calling" today that says "Pause before responding to people or situations, giving My Spirit space to act through you. Hasty words and actions leave no room for Me..." I immediately picked up my pen and wrote in the margin "push the clutch in..."

The invitation I heard today is "step on the clutch, Tracy." Take a breath - or two - or three before you do anything. Listen with the ear of your heart. Take note of Spirit's presence within you and listen to the response being offered. Is that comment or action for the other or just for me. Do I need to speak these hasty words out loud, or are they actually for later - to discuss in conversation with God?

The driving pause is a thing of beauty and has much to teach us. In driving a stick shift, the pause generated by pushing in the clutch results in a sense of suspension or energy - the roar softens and the engine is released and readies itself for the shift and anticipated engagement. There is an internal exchange and the shift occurs. We need a pause, too - and a shift!

The potential in this shift is transformational, as shift doesn't just come when we need to step back and connect with the Divine before we speak or respond too quickly or unnecessarily. The shift also comes when we step back and connect with the Divine for the purpose of mutuality and discernment which lead to growth and deeper intimacy with God, self, others, and creation.

Just as the car has many ways to shift, so do we. Taking a pause, dropping to a lower gear, in order to reconnect with God, or shifting into a higher gear to keep up with where God is leading us (you know, the effort necessary to follow God) is a non-stop invitation from God to each one of us.

Recognizing the need to pause or shift takes practice. For me, I feel certain that the next time I get into my car, my sensibilities will be heightened as I drive. I will be even more in tune with what actions I need to take in order to become more sensitive to the shifts needed in the driving process, but also in the shifts God is inviting me to take and how the use of the pause will open me to more connection with God.

I pray that in whatever situation you begin to notice the Spirit's invitation to pause, you'll recognize it, and give the Spirit space to act through you.

Much love and blessings to you! I think I'll go for a drive!