AWD or 4WD?

I was only half listening to a television commercial about cars when it mentioned a choice between "all-wheel drive" (AWD) and "four-wheel drive" (4WD).  Not being a car person, there's only one reasonable response I could possibly have had:  

"Don't all cars have four wheels?  So if you have all-wheel drive, doesn't that just mean all four wheels are engaged?  What's the diff?"

Of course I have heard the terms before, but it just sounded kind of dumb when linked together in a commercial.  Naturally, I had to get some clarity on the topic, so I searched the internet for a good definition.  

Here's what I found, and I quote:

". . . all-wheel drive, is a system that powers all four wheels when driving"

and

". . . 4-wheel drive, is a drivetrain system that powers all four wheels"

Oh, okay, that clears it up, now I see the difference.

Apparently, there must be a lot more to the features distinguishing AWD and 4WD, but the more I read, the more my eyes glazed over and I discovered I really don't care about any of it--like, at all.

But more importantly, it confirms my assumption that whether it is car terminology or Church theology, we pretty much pay attention to what we care about, and to those outside the loop, it can initially be hard to make much sense of the language surrounding it.

At least I did try to figure out what the commercial was talking about.  Maybe you might likewise dig into theology? (Hopefully with a better outcome!)

The bottom line is, that for those of us in ministry, we need to remember that while we are passionate about getting the word out about Jesus, explanations may be required.

Of course, I didn't invent this idea.  Just open your bible to the New Testament Gospel of Mark, Chapter 4, Verses 1-20 (or click on the link HERE)  and you can observe Jesus doing the same thing.  Beginning around Verse 13, he spends an inordinate amount of time explaining his Parable of the Sower.

I would say that in addition to spending your time worrying about wheels, perhaps you should focus on the mission of Jesus, who God is, and the meaning of scripture, because this is really the greatest way to get you where you need to go.

Janet Cassidy
janetcassidy.blogspot.com