By: Denny

There were many things I learned early on from my dad about being a professional truck driver. Firstly, he said you must be able to back up in a straight line by only using the outside mirrors. I’ve seen many drivers roll down their window or open their door to look backwards. No offense to farmers, but dad always said, “We are truckers, not farmers.” It’s almost humorous to watch as drivers will over-correct their steering while backing and the front of their truck sways from left to right as they rapidly turn the steering wheel this way and that. They may eventually get the trailer to the dock, but their truck is so crooked, and half-cocked that it makes it difficult for another truck to back in beside them. Secondly, and those who can’t do it would debate me on this. You need to learn to shift the transmission without using the clutch. That’s easy to say but harder to do for those who haven’t understood the concept and definition of this word: synchronous – working, moving, or occurring together at the same rate, proper time, and instant. Trucks are different than cars in that they accelerate and decelerate at a slower rate. Diesel engines also operate at lower RPM’s and require a multi gear manual transmission to get up to highway speed. An automatic transmission takes no skill or effort to operate. Some engines work well with a 9 or 10 speed transmission, while others do better with a 13 or 15 speed transmission. The gear ratio of the rear axle also plays a part when selecting a transmission. Not so popular these days is the 4×4 or 5×4 setup. It was actually two transmissions with two gear shifts, one being for the main transmission and the other for the auxiliary transmission. You needed to be fast in shifting them both in the proper sequence. Usually there will be a dash plate showing the type of transmission with the gear pattern and it is also on the gear stick knob. It’s important that you memorize and know it and not have to look at it when shifting. Of course, the clutch is needed to initially put the truck in gear and to get it moving, and for coming to a stop. Once the truck is rolling, the principle of synchronization comes into play. Let’s say your engine’s peak performance RPM range is 1200 to 1800. You would accelerate up to 1800 then almost simultaneously let up on the accelerator while shifting up to the next gear. Sometimes you need to pause in neutral for a second to allow the engine RPMs to decrease. There is an exact instant when the engine RPMs will be In Sync with your speed and the next gear, and the shifting goes as smooth as silk. When downshifting you would slightly accelerate and raise your RPMs to shift into the lower gear. Every engine and transmission are different, but the concept is the same and once the technique is mastered, a good driver can shift any truck without using the clutch. That said, even if you are one who must use the clutch, if the engine RPMs and transmission are not synchronous, you will grind the gears trying to force it. It won’t help to double clutch it either. Being able to shift without the clutch should be commonplace and nothing to brag about, because it has practical application also. I recall a situation I experienced many years ago. It was 1:00 AM and I had just unloaded at Reedsburg, WI and headed for Portage, WI 32 miles away for my next load to Burnsville, MN. Suddenly my clutch plate came apart and I had no clutch at all. I was able to continue driving, picked up my load, and drove another 245 miles to our terminal in Burnsville without a clutch. I had called ahead and alerted them to my situation and intentions. It was a natural thing and no big deal to me, but the head mechanic didn’t think I could do it and was surprised when I pulled into the terminal. Another time I and one of our drivers were unloading at the same location when the hydraulic line to his clutch began leaking fluid profusely. He was going to call a mechanic to come on a service call, which would have been expensive. We were 125 miles from our own shop, so I told him to just drive it home without the clutch. He said he had never done that and was afraid to try. We ended up switching trucks and I drove his truck home saving the company a bunch of money on repairs and downtime.

Now that you understand synchronous and how it relates to shifting gears, let me transition and apply it to God and His word, His will, and His ways. It being the season, I invite you to read the Christmas story as told in Matthew 1:18 through 2:23 and Luke chapter 2. As you read both accounts, filter the events through the words synchronous and synchronization. The story actually begins when the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and announced that she would give birth to the Son of God and his name was to be called Jesus. Even though she didn’t understand she didn’t doubt. Joseph and Mary were engaged to be married. When Joseph found out Mary was pregnant, he wanted to secretly break it off. However, an angel appeared to him in a dream and told him not to be afraid and to take Mary as his wife for the child she was carrying was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Upon awakening from sleep Joseph obeyed and did as the Lord commanded. The birth of Jesus was the fulfillment of prophecy. The trip to Bethlehem could not have been easy and comfortable for Mary, but that’s where Christ was to be born. And what about the shepherds who left their flocks, leaving them all alone to go see what was told to them by an angel. They would never have done that under normal circumstances. Manger scenes often depict the three wise men being present that night Jesus was born, but they weren’t. They had seen his star in their own eastern country and had followed it and sought diligently to find the King of the Jews. Their journey may have taken up to two years. Then there was Simeon, who had been waiting with expectation to see the Lord’s Christ, and the Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he wouldn’t die until he had. He was led by the Spirit to the temple at the exact time Mary and Joseph came, as was Anna the prophetess.

The whole account of the birth of Jesus and the events before and after would have been recorded much differently had everyone involved not been synchronous with God. In fact, the whole Bible is filled with the stories of men and women who at times were In Sync with God and times they weren’t. The religious Pharisees in particular were totally out of synchronization with God because of their traditions, and they missed the new thing he was doing. God does not change His word, His will, or His ways. We need to synchronize our lives with him. Though God doesn’t change, He also doesn’t remain static either. He is constantly moving in ways that only those who are synchronous with Him by way of the Holy Spirit can understand or comprehend. What steps do you need to take in order to be In Sync with God? A good place to start is by simply believing his word without doubting. Mary believed and submitted herself to God’s will, in what seemed impossible to her. Joseph obeyed God without delay, whereas we often will procrastinate. Mary and Joseph suffered much. The long trip to Bethlehem, no room in the inn, Jesus being born in a smelly stable, King Herod trying to kill Jesus, and then they had to quickly flee to Egypt. What have you suffered to be synchronous with God? What effort are you making to seek Him diligently and have you left some things behind? Finally, both Simeon and Anna were waiting and in the right place when God showed up. Where will you be when he returns, and will your actions and life be synchronous with him, or sound like and resemble grinding gears? If the things of this world you’ve been clutching have been so important that they hold you back, then it’s time to release them and shift gears, because being synchronous with God isn’t an automatic.