Car seats are wonderful, if we’re three years old.
Car seats are all about protection. They keep our young ones safe. Properly installed, a good car seat protects small children from exploding airbags, restrains them from unexpected and violent car sway, and helps them survive in roll overs or otherwise fatal crashes.
We need to get out of our spiritual car seats. It’s time for the church to decide we’ve played the part of three-year-olds long enough.
Ephesians 4:14 spells out why we need to mature in Christ:
“So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”
See, here’s the thing about a car seat. It protects us, certainly. However, it also restricts our movements, keeping us from doing what we’re meant to do. A three-year-old needs to run and play, yell loudly, and generally get into stuff. That’s how children learn. They build muscle, gain dexterity, develop interpersonal skills, and find out their strengths and weaknesses. Coddle them continually, restricting them in a car seat, and they’ll remain ineffectual children.
There’s something else about a car seat. It’s always installed backwards, facing the rear of the car. If we remain in our car seat, as adults, we’ll be safe, but we won’t be able to see where we’re headed. We’ll be driving blindly down life’s road, crashing into stuff all along the way.
New Christians need spiritual car seats, just as three-year-old children do. We need to provide a measure of security for those who haven’t matured properly in Christ. They aren’t ready to get behind the wheel just yet. That has to change eventually. At some point, we need to hand over the keys to the next generation, and we don’t want them driving the church while sitting safely coddled in their spiritual car seats. That’s a crash-up in the making, and the church might not survive.
Jesus is welcome to take the wheel, but it takes us to shift into gear.
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