Tales from the bus. Missed….

Many of my longsuffering readers know that I am a bus driver and driver trainer for the local school district.  Previously, I have blogged a few posts related to work and theological lessons from interactions on the job…..  Grouped as ‘Tales from the bus,’ this is another such missive.

Lately, we have been critically short of drivers due to a number of irrelevant factors.  Long story short, several driver’s recent bouts with a stomach bug has left us scrambling each day to get children home.  Routes are being piecemealed between drivers who are willing to pull double duty or drive sections that border their normal routes, then a couple staff members in the office get to pick up the rest.  “Adventure” would be an understatement.

This afternoon I was assigned two short elementary routes that I whipped out before racing to the high school to pick up two routes of high schoolers.  To keep from confusing the elementary students, I used their bus, but placed large prominent numbers on the bus for the two high school routes.  The signs clearly said, ‘1 & 5‘.I pulled into the high school a scant two to three minutes behind schedule and patted myself on the back.  After pulling in and securing the bus, I began to review the two route descriptions to be familiar with the general areas I was taking students.  As the students tentatively loaded, I said over and over, “Number one to the back, five sit up front!!”  I knew that I would dump most of five before touching the number one area, so I wanted them sitting where I could ask street numbers, stops, etc.

The hubbub settled down and I looked up from my paper to be surprised that my bus was less than half full, but the loading had stopped.  I asked if everybody was on, but multiple students said, ‘no!’  One student even asked to go tell friends and took off running.  He came back with several in tow.  a couple students yelled out the window, ‘Come on!  This is number one!  We’re leaving!’

No response.  Students remained in their little huddles and paid no attention to the arival of their bus. They felt safe in their little clique.

Finally, after a couple minutes with no new passengers, I closed the door and we pulled off.  A simple glance in the rear facing student mirror and I knew we did not have everybody, but I can’t make them ride.  They just made my day easier and theirs harder.

I focused and started creating a route in my head as we bounced through town trying to hit or get very close to street corners for present students without wasting time going to intersections for absent students. Finally, relieved of most students, we headed into the country for the last half dozen that lived well out of town.

That was when I had time to think and it suddenly dawned on me:  Many students did not get on the bus because it didn’t look like what they were expecting.  Never mind the clear signs on the front and door windows, they were expecting a C2, however, a Transit showed up with a driver that was not their usual….

Their paradigm of expectation prevented them from acting when their bus came.  I looked different and their bus looked different.  They looked, they saw and they said, ‘Not my ride….’  And, what happened was , ‘MISSED!!!’

Only a percentage of the expected riders got on!

Fireworks went off in my head!!  How like the coming of the Messiah!!

Many have a particular paradigm of expectation and in spite of the changing dynamic all around us and many clear signs, they are waiting for a ‘bus’ that fits their expectations instead of adjusting their expectations to be inline with the Word as it is playing out!  No wonder only a remnant get on the bus and return!

Here are a few wrong buses that people errantly expect:

• Rapture Bus: Some hope to escape tribulation and falsely expect the Rapture Bus.  Unfortunately, it is broken down and will not be coming.  Scripture clearly depicts the Holy One coming AFTER the great tribulation of those days.
• Lawless Bus: Many think they do not have to be obedient to God’s Instructions (Torah), but Yeshua said, “Many will come in that day….depart from Me you workers of Lawlessness.”  Got Torah?
• Church IS Israel Bus: Hordes think the Church has replaced Israel and that they need not consider what it really means to be adopted and grafted INTO Israel…
• Judah IS Israel:  This is a biggie, evident throughout many strains of Judaism, Christianity and even Messianic groups, yet hundreds of verses and passages evidence that the terms ‘Judah’ and ‘Israel’ are NOT always synonymous.  Even a kindergartner can look at Isaiah 11:13 and Ezekiel 37:16-17, 22 and see that they are not the same.
• Jesus Bus: The Messiah is not Fabio and bears little resemblance to the Jesus of Christendom.  He was/is a Jewish Rabbi who kept the Torah named Yeshua which means ‘Salvation.’
• etc…  the list goes on.  (Feel free to add in the comments section..)

The point is this: What is our expectation and is it informed by Scripture alone, or Scripture plus the doctrines and wishes of men?

I recommend getting on your knees and sincerely praying,

Father, I want Truth!  If I am not seeing what I should be seeing, please open my eyes!  If I am “seeing” something that is false, close my eyes to it.  Please lead me to the Truth!  Amein!

Now, follow His leading!