Seeing God in the Back Seat of My Minivan
20 December 2006

As the father of four young boys, let’s just say I’m exposed to all sorts of mischief. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty o tender moments, but what I seem to write about a lot are those, “Oh, no you didn’t!” type of events. I guess that’s because I see me in those moments, thinking back to when I was a little guy and always finding a way to get into big trouble. I don’t only see myself in these moments, it seems I always see a bit of a lesson in them for myself. Let me tell you what I mean.

Last night my wife picked me up from work with the four boys in the minivan. Now, what you need to realize is we had just recently bought this van, a van my wife had been wanting for years. Keep this in mind. And while we’re sitting at a red light, above the usual back-seat noises a phrase catches my wife’s and my ear—"I’m stuck.” That can’t be good.

Looking back I see our 7-year old tangled up in his seat belt. And this is where the fun begins.

I told him to hang on, we’ll get you out when we get home. He continues to squirm and whine as he struggles to free himself as if an anaconda was fighting to drag him under the car seat.

Getting home I open the back door of the van and survey the situation only a 7-year old boy can get himself into. I have no idea how he got wrapped up the way he did. It was like he was Harry Houdini in reverse. As I tried to free him the seat belt kept getting tighter. The seat belt wouldn’t give me any slack because it thought it was doing a good job of holding whatever it had in its grip. I had to try to release its grip by pulling it back into its unused position, but it never gave an inch. Tighter and tighter the belt closed its grip. By this time my son is getting hysterical. There was only one option left. An option that was unthinkable to my wife and her new van. I turned to her and said the unspeakable—"Get me the scissors.”

Yes, it happened. I cut the seat-belt and it darted back into the side of the seat with a flip-flip-flip as it twirled inside its enclosure, feeling a freedom of tension it had never dreamed of. My son fell to the seat in relief. My wife stood their in shock. And through all of these reasons, my own thoughts turned to how much I myself get tangled up, not in any seat belt, but in sin.

I gave my son the “If you would stayed seated normal with your seat-belt on this wouldn’t have happened” lecture. All he probably heard was “blah-blah-blah-yip-yap-blah.” But isn’t that like us all. We know what God asks of us, seeking the best for our lives by protecting us with His promises. Yet too often we just grow numb to the knowledge of them and live our lives as if nothing bad could happen to us, like we won’t get tangled up. But thank God for a loving father who cuts us out of the mess when we call on him. Thank God the for a loving heavenly father who just might have turned to the hosts of heavens and said, “I’m sending my Son. Scissors just won’t do.”

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Tammy Hopkins 21 December 2006 - 9:51:14AM

GREAT STORY!!!  I know how upset Andrea is but this will be a story you’ll be telling for years, probably even on his wedding day.  And don’t worry because I think you can get the seatbelt fixed for under $1000.00.  Ha! Ha!

DrSamLam 24 December 2006 - 1:21:12PM

Great!  There are pictures of grace everywhere. All that we need is the comedic imagination to look for them.
You have the gift my brother.  Don’t waste it, don’t mis-use it, don’t let it get away from you, and don’t end up 90 years old in a nursing home (sure they say they’ll never put you in there) wishing that you had . . .  Do it!

Sharon DiGiacinto 05 January 2007 - 2:09:23PM

OH MY GOODNESS!!!  That is too comical - these are the times when you and Andrea should seriously think about writing a memoirs “The tales of 4 boys” , you could get millions!  Then Just like Tammy said, the day they get married, share this with their significant others!!  Remind me not to ride in that seat if I should ever ride in your van!!

Pastor-E 09 January 2007 - 10:05:50PM

Nice story!

Lisa 18 April 2007 - 10:36:14AM

The story itself is soooo cute… your writing style is amazing. I’m going to want to read more of what you have to say. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful talent with the world.