The drive

I like to drive. I like the freedom of the car to myself, sunshine and wide open road. I do not like to pay for gas and I do not know why all those other drivers need to drive while I am driving, but I love to go on fairly long trips in pretty scenery and listen to music and perhaps drive a little fast. This is fun to me.

I like drive and energy as well. I like folks who are excited about what they do, who don't limit the potential of a new idea and who will put in the time to make a good thing better because they want it to be the best it can be. I love to either be in the midst of a project myself or be a part of someone else's when that creative edge kicks in and everyone is energized and motivated to dig in, push a little more. That drive is fun to me too.

I dislike intensely holding back so it doesn't cost too much or take too long. I am wearied by people who drive slowly in the left lane and people who are continuously negative. I am aggravated by people who when reminded of the vastness of God respond with the smallness of their minds. I could just scream when I run into one bar after another set so low as to require absolutely nothing, as far as effort and drive, and then am asked why so few people seem to be committed these days. I am reminded constantly of a comment my mother made when I was a little girl about women who wore their curlers to the grocery store. She would say, "I wonder who they are saving it for" meaning if they are curling their hair to look good for someone, they are wasting their time, everyone has already seen it looking bad. That's what I want to ask these folks, who are you saving all your energy for? How many mediocre things are we going to tolerate?? Don't you know that it looks bad?

Here is the really frustrating thing to me: why on earth does God love us all equally? I know this is completely incorrect to ask these kind of questions and I know that I do not deserve God's love. I am grateful that He loves me and all of us. But really think about this with me. I am not talking about sinners, I know we are all sinners and fall short of the grace of God. I am talking about those who do the bare minimum, just enough to get by in every area of their lives. Who live life dipping their toes into the water but never get wet. In Revelation they are neither hot nor cold, just lukewarm. They live lukewarm lives. I guess they never burn out but they never light up either. Yet, while God may spit them out of His mouth there is no doubt that He loves them, as He loves all. This boggles my mind. Perhaps in His love He would join me in my wish to grab them and shake them by the shoulders and say, get those curlers out of your hair and be something for goodness sake!!! Perhaps I better keep these kind of wishes to a minimum as there is no doubt a group of people writing in their blogs about people like me who need someone to shake them by the shoulders and say, stop being so doggone judgemental. But who cares about that anyway?????

I like this quote by Lee Iaoccoa:
Apply yourself. Get all the education you can, but then, by God,
do something. Don't just stand there, make it happen.

Lee might not have meant by God in the same manner I do, but by the grace of God let's do something worth doing well. Let's make excellence a goal. Let's raise the bar and when we fall short, let's promise not to lower the bar but brush ourselves off and try again. Let's quit saving it and look good all the time. And let's take a little drive. It's so good for the soul.