Well we did it. The thing parents dread. We faced two 12 hour road trips with our 8 month old baby. Now, we have done this journey before with our daughter but she was 6 weeks old and pretty much just slept the whole time. At that age, she was not aware of the disdain she would soon have with her car seat.

At 8 months, it is a different story. She has become well aware of the confinement that is her car seat and she has made up her mind to hate it with all her tiny little might. I am talking an absolute meltdown in the car. Red in the face. Tears flowing out of both eyes. Screaming at the top of her lungs. All because she is over this little jail cell we have strapped her to.

Twelve hours of an all out melt down can make any sane person blow a gasket, so clearly, I was a little nervous about this road trip. Thankfully, Remi did really well on both car rides. She had her moments where she was fed up with the trip and let us know, but for the most part, she handled the ride well.

For a baby like her, who is never still and always a little ball of energy, I can see where the car seat gets it’s deplorable reputation. I mean the only form of movement she has is to kick her legs around (and boy does she do that). It really is a pretty restraining thing, but it has to be. The reason we lock her up tight in the car seat is because it keeps her safe.

Like most mothers, I hate to see my baby cry. Especially when it is something I know I can fix. The first time Remi discovered she did not enjoy being in her car seat, we were driving back from a wedding and she just started screaming. My girl is a pretty happy baby most times so I thought something was wrong. Colby pulled over at a gas station and as soon as he put the car in park, I unbuckled my distraught child. The moment I pulled her out of that car seat, her cries turned to giggling and she had this sneaky little grin on her face. All she wanted was to get out of that car seat.

I am aware of her hatred for the car seat now, so I am less concerned when she throws a fit while on the road. But when she looks at me with those red, tear-filled eyes begging me to break her out of the incarceration that is the car seat, I know it is for her own good.

Isn’t it the same thing with God sometimes? There are circumstances that we don’t understand. There are things in this life that we have to face for our good. Things that hurt or don’t seem good in the moment. Things that feel like imprisonment or punishment, but God is using them to keep us safe. To help us.

In John, before Jesus is crucified, He tells His disciples about the Holy Spirit:

“But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” John 16:7 (NIV)

When Jesus hung there on the cross, his friends did not understand and I am sure they didn’t think about this sentence. How could it be good for Jesus to die? How could that possibly be the better outcome?

Of course it didn’t make sense to see their friend and Savior dying on the cross. Of course they didn’t believe in the moment that this was the best thing that could happen.

Because of sin and because of love, Jesus had to die. He chose the sacrifice that meant His death, so that we could know eternal life, and so we could carry the Holy Spirit with us here on earth.

It seems so backwards that it is to our benefit that Jesus died. But those are His words. He knew that beyond death, there was something far greater, and He unlocked that greatness for us. It probably seems backwards to my daughter when I start strapping her in the car and telling her I love her when I am doing this thing she absolutely hates.

Just like the car seat brings safety, the death of Jesus allowed for the Holy Spirit to come dwell in our hearts. We don’t get to walk through life alongside the physical body of Jesus today, but we have an Advocate that straps on his little helmet and jumps in the side car of our life everyday. The Holy Spirit courses through our body like blood through our veins if we allow Him to. He is on our side and can guide us through the good and bad this world has to offer.

We often don’t understand the trials we face. It is difficult to see the safety or benefits that come from hardship on this side of heaven. But God knows what He is doing.

Just like my daughter, I have looked up to heaven with tearful eyes wondering why God is allowing this thing, whatever it is, to happen. I don’t always get a response, but I always get through it. The Holy Spirit is with me through all my struggles in life.

There will be times in life when it feels like God is strapping us into the dreaded car seat against our will, but we have to trust that it is for our benefit. Don’t forget that God is in the drivers seat steering you down a path He has prepared. And He doesn’t let us walk through it alone because the Holy Spirit is with us on the journey.

And lots of snacks can help that screaming child in the car seat.