Sex in the City

Nothing reminds you more of New York than those pestilent Yellow Checkered Cabs. They whiz through the city streets, dodging cars here and there like bees in a beehive as they look for someone in need of a ride.

When they do find a passenger, they are overcome by an irresistible urge to get that person to their destination as quickly as possible, regardless of cars, pedestrians, traffic lights and speed limits. It’s all part of being in the Big Apple.

I watched these cabs in their daily ritual one day and was aware of something else they do which might seem insignificant to the normal observer. Standing at the corner of Grand St. and Broadway I watched empty cabs go by as their drivers panned the sidewalks, looking for someone in need of their services. A few looked right at me but I tried not to make eye contact; I was waiting for a friend. Other cabs drove past with the typical New York indifference and probably didn’t even realize I existed or anyone else for that matter. That was when it hit me. Though it might seem far-fetched, living a life of purity is very similar to being a New York City taxi driver. When there is no one in the car you are constantly looking around and getting distracted by everyone around you. You feel attracted to material things and everything the world with its vanities has to offer. However, when you are driving your Cab with someone in the car, be it Christ or your spouse, you are not looking for anyone else. All you care about is going to where your passenger wants to go and getting there as soon as possible.

We can be like those empty cabs that look to fill ourselves with whatever we find around us. But, if we are true to God and true to ourselves, we would live like those other cabs that cherish the person in their car and the time they get to spend together. If we fill our hearts with God then we would not have room for the things of this world. God is with us and he has a special destination for each of us but we need to drive the car to where he wants to go.

By Thomas Flynn