Vacation in Italy 2-God and Italian Drivers

If the experience of driving in the Czech Republic is a symphony, it is forte (loud), presto (very fast), and intense. It is punctuated with staccato notes. All in all, it unsettles you and leaves you wondering why the random intensity.

If the experience of driving in Italy is a symphony, it is mezzo-forte (medium loud), andante (moderately paced), and rubatto (free flowing). It leaves you with a calming wholeness and completeness. Don't get me wrong...Italian drivers drive fast and there is a lot of traffic but they tend to FLOW. Turn signals are optional. Lanes are only guidelines. In the cities, cars, motorcycles, and bicycles weave in and out of the traffic pattern with grace and poise. I rarely heard a horn, even in all this "choreographed chaos". No one seemed to get angry. People were simply prepared to "go with the flow".

At the risk of being accused of favoritism or even slight heresy...I think God directs the events of our lives and our world like an Italian driver. There is a sense, overall, that he is directing the events of our lives and our world. Sometimes we must look beyond the visible, tangible world of our daily lives to see the deeper patterns of God's handiwork. He is orchestrating a beautiful symphony with joys and trials, the known and the unknown, and is weaving his plan into our daily experience.

For those who accept that God, the creator of all things, is orchestrating this symphony, life becomes meaningful, purposeful, redeemed, and full of the aroma of Jesus Christ. Life becomes a drive in the country, with rest and relaxation coming from the one who created rest and worry-free living. Even unexpected traffic jams, accidents, and detours become part of the symphony of life. With Jesus Christ, life becomes a free flowing symphony that is masterfully written and directed by the author of life.