During last Sunday’s sermon, I recalled my first visit to Six Flags over Georgia in 1967. I still associate the smell of hot asphalt and popcorn with the amusement park.

One of the featured rides was The Hanson Cars sponsored by Cotton State Insurance. Guests drove antique cars at low speeds around a meandering circuit.

At age nine, I was thrilled to get behind the wheel. My mother joined me as an unenthusiastic passenger. She did not realize the cars were on a fixed track. They could only veer a few feet before bumping back on course.

I thoroughly enjoyed the drive, swerving right and left to the limits of the course. Meanwhile, my mother held on white-knuckled, convinced the ride would end in a fiery crash.

Later, I read a book by Andrew Greeley in which the Roman Catholic priest wrote, “God draws straight with crooked lines.” When we zig, the Holy Spirit zags in order to accomplish God’s will.

I do not believe in a Calvinistic predetermination of life’s events. However, I claim that Jesus Christ is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. All of life takes place within the context of God’s mercy, grace, and love.

When life swerves, it is comforting to know that God is in control. May the Holy Spirit keep us safely on course until we arrive home.