Taxi Chaos – Going Everywhere and Nowhere… Fast (Luke 10:38-42)
In a world that is populated with multiple ride-sharing options such as Uber and Lyft, the unique romance of an authentic taxi cab ride is becoming less common and more of a nostalgia trip that solely exists to bring two characters together in a romantic Netflix/Hallmark movie. Typically in the rain, while they fight over the cab before falling in love and having 2.5 children and a nice house in the suburbs. And of course they open a candy shop together in the mountains, because, you know… reasons. But Taxi Chaos is here to break through those taxi cab stereotypes in an attempt to remind us of a much better nostalgia trip… Crazy Taxi.
The concept for both of these games is as simple as it is brilliant… you are a taxi cab driver who has a small amount of time to make a LOT of money, and the way you make that $$$ is by whisking each of your passengers to their destination as quickly as possible while completely ignoring ALL of the traffic laws you can along the way. Now to be fair, Taxi Chaos may feel like a weak knock-off of the exceptional greatness that was the original Crazy Taxi game… I mean, let’s list the features. In both games you drive a basically indestructible taxi cab, the city is populated with passengers who pay you to whisk them across town in the most dangerous way possible, and you have a very small amount of time to accomplish these tasks because for some reason these passengers need to get all the way across town to pickup their dog from the groomer in 60 seconds or less. That sounds like the Crazy Taxi formula to a tee. But while this budget-friendly title may not have all of the iconic music and finesse of its predecessor, it certainly has one thing going for it… Chaos.
The truth is that after about 30 minutes or so with this game you start to recognize that this familiar gameplay loop is going to repeat itself over and over and OVER again with the same repeating dialogue, driving down the same streets, picking up many of the same looking passengers, and your goal shifts to simply learning the tricks and shortcuts that will shave off precious seconds to make the most out of your allotted time. Round and round and round, over and over again, trying to use each pass to improve SLIGHTLY on your previous run. Sound familiar? This lather, rinse, repeat formula may feel a bit familiar to all of us… and it’s called LIFE.
I know I fall into this “gameplay loop” all too often… get up in the morning, brew some coffee, check some emails, count down the time until I go to work, get to work and count down the time to get home, get home and count down the time to go to bed… all to start the game over again tomorrow and hope that maybe I can shave off some time here or there for something a little less formulaic. You know, like maybe if I shower faster I will have time to make toast. But while there is a certain comfort that exists in these routines, we run the risk of becoming a “Martha” and allowing our priorities to get in the way of our purpose. Let’s jump to a fairly well-known instance of when Jesus taught Martha about the importance of purpose over priority…
Luke 10:38-42 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
This scene feels like it was pulled straight out of our every day lives… here is Martha working feverishly to get dishes cleaned and set, finish cooking dinner and toss it onto the table before Peter eats all of it, maybe get the laundry folded so everyone can actually sit on the couch… you know, what most of us call THURSDAY. And in the middle of all of this chaos and running around in circles sits her sister Mary… relaxing on top of a freshly cleaned load of towels, chilling and listening to Jesus like she didn’t just hear the oven timer go off. The nerve…
Martha wasn’t about to let this go… this pent-up storm of frustration at trying to get everything done without help boiled over until she complained directly to Jesus and asked for Him to intervene. And the wisdom from His lips hit home then the same way it does to this day… “You are worried and troubled about many things. But ONE thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part.” Ouch… that will stop your taxi faster than a flashing stop sign on a school bus. In the midst of the chaos of trying to get everything done and keep the taxi cab rolling to its next destination, Martha had missed the point of the journey altogether.
This moment that they had with Jesus was a perishable moment… it would not be long after this that He would be crucified, resurrected, and taken back up to be with the Father. We don’t know if Jesus ever stayed with Mary and Martha after this again… and Mary was determined to soak up every minute of this time because she recognized that in the midst of all of these chores and tasks, there was something happening here that far surpassed ALL of those things in importance. The opportunity to just sit, still her heart, embrace the moment, and listen to the Lord.
We can all get caught up in the Taxi Chaos of our lives… rushing from place to place, fixating on what is next instead of what is “now”… and if we aren’t careful we will fail to realize that the Lord gave us something special that we should have cherished while it could still be held. Our children will grow up and the folded laundry will not be the memory that lingers long after they have gone. Nobody remembers what they had for dinner 48 days ago, but we will remember the surprise phone call from someone who called just to say “I love you”, “I miss you”, or “I really appreciate you being in my life”. And most importantly, that quiet time we spent with the Lord to listen to His Word, recharge, and gain new insight will carry us much farther than a clean email inbox or to-do list that has finally been marked off.
I hope this encourages you to look past the mundane, repetitive taxi rides we all race through each day and look for those moments that we can spend at the feet of the Master, quieting our souls and allowing Him to fill us with His peace and wisdom. Allow yourself the luxury of embracing what Jesus called “that good part”, and don’t let the speed of the world around us dictate how we live our lives. Yes, breakfast still needs to get made and the laundry might still need to get folded… I am actually looking at a pile of it right NOW. But our spirit needs fed just as much as our bodies do, and that is the “good part” that is most important.
Our time on this planet is short, and we can either race to beat the clock in our “Crazy Taxi” as we zoom from destination to destination, or we can stop and enjoy the ride, recognizing that we will never get this time back. Kiss your little ones, hug your family, call your friends, and spend some time at the feet of the Savior today… we will get there when we get there. And we will be richer for the journey in those parts that matter the most.
Matthew 11:28-30 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
