Parable Road 7 (Faith)

What in the world is going on?

That thought rattles in my mind as I lay in my bunk.

The sound of grinding gears fades into silence.

You hope people know how to drive but you never really know what they’re all about until you take a trip with them.

The truck rocks and sways as the sound of grinding returns.

My word what a racket. Maybe I should get out there and see what is going on.

I sit upright at the end of my bunk and search through the darkness for some sign of my clothing on the floor.

Ah. There they are. My pants. It’s always good to have pants on in public. I pick them up and put them on.

Feeling somewhat dressed, I stand up. Only to fall to the floor as the truck comes to a sudden stop. What the !!!??

Just as suddenly as it stopped, the truck lurches forward again.

For Pete’s sake!

I yank open the curtain separating the bunk area from the cab.

“What is going on out here?”

“No worries Ben, it’s just some heavy traffic, I got it under control,” Harvey says as he pulls the shifter down.

“I was trying to sleep back there,” I say as I move to sit myself in the passenger seat.

“I know I know. It’s this traffic. I dunno what’s going on. It’s like people don’t know how ta drive.”

“Yes, I was thinking the same thing.”

The truck moves onto a straightaway and picks up speed. For the moment, things seem to be going smoothly, so I begin to calm down a bit. Perhaps if I build some common ground with my co-driver, things will start to go better for us.

“You said you immigrated from Mexico?”

“Yeah,” Harvey cranks the steering wheel just missing a small blue Toyota Yaris. “I couldn’t stand the shunning anymore. So I moved.”

“Yes, yes, you mentioned that. Where do you go to Church now?”

“Oh, I don’t go to any now.”

“None?”

“None.” Harvey laughs. “I’ve tried faith, it didn’t do anything for me. So why should I bother going to Church?”

“Well, faith is…”

“Don’t bother trying to convince me, Ben. I’m done with all that stuff.”

I grip the edges of my seat as the truck weaves through the stream of traffic.

“Okay. Let me ask you this then. How long have you been driving truck?”

Harvey scratches his head. “Oh, I don’t know, it’s been a while.”

“Guess.”

“Maybe five or six weeks.”

“Six weeks!?”

“Yeah, there was a driving course. So, I took that for three weeks, got my license, and now I’m out on my first trip.”

“This is your first trip?”

Harvey grins. “Yeah, I’m doing pretty good aren’t I?”

“Well, I’m going to go get my shirt on,” I say as I pull myself upright. “We can continue this discussion after that.”

“No problem Ben,” Harvey says as he slams on the brakes, sending the truck to a shuddering halt, just inches from the small blue Toyota Yaris stopped at a stop light.

Whew. That was a close one.

A picture of my wife flashes through my mind. I hope that I can return home to her. I’d hate for her to get a phone call from the police.

It takes a few moments to catch my breath and calm myself. After I do, I say, “Harvey, for someone who says they don’t believe in faith…”

“Yeah…”

“You sure had a lot of faith that those brakes would stop you before you hit that car.”

“I told you, I’m not interested in talking about religion.”

“Well, if you don’t want to discuss it…at least thank God that I got those brakes replaced. If I hadn’t, you’d be in the middle of an accident scene right now.”

“I was at church all my life Ben. I don’t need to hear it.”

“Was their faith in themselves and their rules and traditions?”

Harvey smirks. “Oh. They put on a good show. But they were self-centered alright.”

“The thing is…It’s what faith is placed in that’s important.”

“Believe what you want, just don’t expect me to.”

The traffic light turns green and the truck lurches forward again. The vehicles behind us let loose a couple of hostile horn blasts.

“Did the instructor in your driving course teach you to shift like that?”

“Stop worrying about me, Ben. Go and get your shirt on…”

I settle back into the passenger seat. “No thanks, I think I’ll sit here for a while.”

Harvey laughs. “What? Don’t you trust me?”

“Ask me that question again at the end of this trip,” I say, wondering if we’ll make it to our destination in one piece.

“Come on Ben. Have a little faith,” Harvey says with a teasing smile as the truck continues to weave through the stream of traffic in this city.

“Like I said before, the important thing about faith is what it is placed in.”

“Oh, you don’t trust me.”

I grip the seat again as the truck lurches to the left. “I didn’t say that.”

“You don’t have to say it. I can see it in your face.”

“Harvey, please keep your eyes on the road.”

“This is gonna be a long trip, isn’t it?”

“It sure feels like it,” I say. Sometime soon, I’m going to have to talk with my boss about Harvey and his driving. Until I can do that, all I can do is pray.

God hasn’t let me down yet.

The brakes of the truck squeal as we shudder to a stop at another traffic light.

I grit my teeth as I struggle to quell the rising tide of anger I have toward Harvey. This whole situation is certainly a test of faith.

I sure hope I pass the test.