Articles
The Bus Ride
Growing up I rode the bus to school. I can only remember one bus driver. Our school district
must have been very desperate for drivers because there was a stop sign near the school which
she ran over on a regular basis. One morning while I was on the bus, she turned a corner so
sharply that the back tires of the bus ran over the hood of a new Cadillac which a young lady had
borrowed from her parents. It’s a rough ride when the bus goes up and over a car. I know,
because I was sitting over the wheel that ran over the car! Near the end of her driving days, on a
back-country road with a load of kids, she moved so far over to the side of the road that the bus
slid into the ditch and rolled over on its side. Thankfully in all that time, I do not believe anyone
was seriously harmed, only property.
My life is a lot like that bus, and I’m the driver. Some days are good. Everything goes
smoothly, there are no surprises, no one gets hurt, and I get safely through the day. However,
there are times, sometimes days, that are just bad. Just like the bus driver is given a route, my life
has been laid out for me. The Bible teaches me what I am supposed to be doing along the way
and what my destination should be. The problem is, sometimes I lose focus, make mistakes, and
it feels like I ran over a Cadillac.
My bus driver drove the bus hundreds of days without incident, but I really only remember
the bad days. I can’t let the bad times and the bad days in my life keep me from doing what I
know I have to do. The apostle John shares a powerful message for all Christians, “But if we
walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of
Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and
the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins
and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:7-9). I may not be perfect, but someone has to
drive the bus.
~ Brad Tolbert
