Did you hear about the 8 year old boy who stole the family car and drove to McDonalds? Sounds like the opening line of a joke, but it was actually in the news recently!
Here’s the report from nydailynews.com:
An 8-year-old boy craving a cheeseburger hopped into his father’s car and drove himself and his younger sister to a McDonald’s near their Ohio home.
The police department received numerous phone calls about a child behind the wheel of a car. Surprisingly, witnesses told cops the tiny motorist had impressive driving skills and didn’t do any damage to his father’s car or anyone else’s vehicle.
Residents said the boy followed all traffic laws, including stopping at red lights and waiting for other cars to pass before making a left turn into the McDonald’s parking lot. Officers said the boy drove straight to the fast-food restaurant, located about a mile and a half from his home, to get something to eat. The boy’s sister, 4, was riding shotgun.
Authorities said when the two kids pulled up to the drive-thru window workers at the eatery assumed it was a prank. “The workers thought that the parents were in the back,” Koehler said. “Obviously they weren’t.”
When police arrived to the McDonald’s, the boy started crying and explained that he was hungry and wanted a cheeseburger.
The child also said he had never driven a vehicle before and quickly learned how by watching YouTube videos.
Koehler told the outlet that the parents were back at the home asleep and had no idea their children had left. No charges were filed and police said this was not a case of neglect; the children had already eaten three times that day. The parents picked up the kids at the police station.
Thank the Lord these kids are safe and so is everyone else who was on the road that day! I’m thankful that this can just be another laughable story about the crazy things kids do.
I see a lot of similarities between the child in this story and many Christians today…
We think we know everything because we watched a YouTube video. We think, because of our desires and our intellect that we somehow have the authority to chase after our cravings. We think we can do what we want and find some way to justify it, well, because no one got hurt. We also take younger/weaker believers down with us when we do.
If you really stop and think about the situation in this story, the boy broke the law, risked his life, his little sister’s life, and the lives of others all for a really awful burger he was craving. Cheap quasi-food that is terrible for him.
I wonder what was on the menu at home that night. If he had some patience, maybe mom and dad planned on grilling steaks and making homemade ice cream for their kids’ dinner.
When we recklessly chase after our worldly desires, I wonder what God has on the menu for us instead? Submitting to God’s authority means that we submit to His will, and His will is much better than what we are craving at the moment.
I’m so thankful that this story has a happy ending. No car accidents, no injuries, not even an arrest made or charges filed. Just another reminder of when we realize that we are outside the lines, rebelling against God’s authority, there is always the grace of Jesus to get us back home safe.