VOICE OF TRUTH FOR TODAY
Manual Transmission
I have to admit—there’s something glamorous about the red carpet. The paparazzi, the gowns, the flashing lights… and of course, arriving in my ten-year-old Ford Fiesta with cloth seats and a manual transmission! I lovingly call my car “Chuck.” He’s not quite fancy enough to be called Charles, but he’s faithful at getting me from point A to point B.
Recently, Chuck’s fan stopped working. In the Orlando heat, that’s a big problem! Without the fan, the car can overheat quickly. So I developed a little system. When I approach a red light, I turn the car off and coast to a stop. Windows down. Then when the light turns green, I start him back up and say, “Good boy, Chuck!”
As funny as it sounds, I realized something about my own life through that experience. I’ve recently entered my 50s, and I’ve started noticing little “transition moments.” Things that once ran smoothly now feel… different. When life begins to shift, my instinct is to grab the wheel and put everything into manual transmission so I can stay in control.
But transition is nothing new. The Bible is filled with it. In Daniel 6, Daniel goes from favor with King Darius to sitting in a den of lions. Talk about a sudden change of circumstances! Yet God was faithful through it all.
What I’ve learned is that the best way to navigate transition is to seek the Lord’s counsel instead of forcing my own solutions.
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” —Isaiah 26:3 (ESV)
When my mind stays fixed on Him, my heart finds peace—even in seasons that feel uncertain.
Transitions may be uncomfortable, costly, and longer than I’d like. But when I surrender to the Great Mechanic, He faithfully repairs what’s broken and strengthens my faith along the way.
Dual tailpipes and blessings,
DeAnn Alaine
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Excerpt from Voice of Truth Magazine
“Red Carpet Ready” by DeAnn Alaine-Musical Comedienne