Marilyn was a young adult facing a milestone challenge—getting her driver’s license. Ever since she was a child, the scenes on the highway of monstrous trucks blasting their horns, speeding motorcyclists weaving between lanes, dashing pedestrians crisscrossing the road, and angry drivers shouting at one another always scared her. Her first attempt had ended in an embarrassing failure.
One morning, sitting alone on the rider’s side of a parked car, her recent driving test was replaying in her mind—what she’d done wrong and what she should have done better. Looking over at the steering wheel, she wondered how she would ever be able to work up the confidence to drive.
A movement ahead caught her attention. Coming down the sidewalk was a middle-aged woman. It was hard not to notice her. The woman was about 4 ½ feet tall and one of her legs was significantly shorter than the other. She awkwardly limped down the sidewalk with the aid of her cane.
Marilyn discreetly observed as the woman stopped, turned, and then carefully shifted herself down the sidewalk to the street level. She looked both ways repeatedly before hobbling to the other side.
Filled with mixed feelings of worry and sympathy, Marilyn wondered where the woman was heading. There was a line of boutiques on the other side of the street, but instead of entering one, the woman paused on the side of the road and began fumbling in her purse.
She then approached a gray car, opened the door, and proceeded with some difficulty to get into the driver’s seat. Then she laid her cane on the passenger’s side, positioned her longer leg to reach the pedals, closed the door, and turned on the ignition. From her window, Marilyn could see that the woman’s chin barely reached the top of the steering wheel.
Marilyn gazed in admiration as the woman smoothly maneuvered the car out of the parking space and onto the road, where she picked up speed and calmly drove away. Right then and there, Marilyn found the courage and made a commitment to try again. This time she went on to succeed and got her driver’s license.
“As you have believed, so let it be done for you” (Matthew 8:13 NKJV).