The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19:1
State Road 74 connects Wilmington to our growing little town of Leland. It is a tree-lined, four-lane highway separated by a wide median. Unlike the curvy roads of West Virginia, it is flat and straight, and visibility goes for miles. This week, traveling back home from a trip to Wilmington, I experienced probably one of the scariest and certainly potentially deadly incidents I’ve ever had behind the wheel. I was in the left-hand lane with a car in front of me and two cars beside me in the right-hand lane. Thankfully, about two car lengths were between us because we were going about 65mph. Suddenly, and I mean suddenly, the car in front of me puts on its brakes at a dead stop. I had two choices in that instant. Run into the vehicle in front of me, which would probably cause the tractor-trailer behind me to hit me and kill us all or go off into the median. I can only assume God and experience take over in those moments because, in those split seconds, there is truly no rational thinking occurring. Only fear is happening. As I drove across the rumble strip and into the grassy median, I could see the problem. A huge “something” was in the road, blocking the lane. Thankfully, no one was hurt, and I could drive my car from the middle of the median back onto the highway. No matter how many times I replay it in my head, I have no answer to the question, “With the range of visibility why did the person in front of me not see the road obstacle long before we were right on top of it and try to avoid it by slowing down and moving safely to the right?”
Life can be very much like this experience. For some unknown reason, we don’t see what is in the road ahead of us until it stops us in our tracks. I can make some assumptions about why the car was blinded to the roadblock. And being distracted by their phone is the first thing that comes to mind. Sometimes we are distracted, and not paying attention to the signs and sometimes the news blindsides us. The unexpected medical report, death of a loved one, a wayward child, financial crisis, and the list of unforeseen roadblocks is endless, but they are really all the same. They cause us to drive off the road, in a state of fear. How long we stay in the median in that state is really up to us. Does the fear paralyze us and not allow us to move forward out of the median, or do we turn to the One who was right by our side as we entered the median and remember He is the one who guides us, never leaves us, and soothes the quaking fear? “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deut 31:8). The roadblock can be small, be resolved quickly and become a blimp on the screen of our lives. Other roadblocks can be much larger and the impact and consequences completely change life’s landscape. No matter the size of the obstacle in the road, we can rest in the assurance that God and his providential sovereignty are in control, and all these experiences call us to trust God’s higher purposes. And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit.
The photo is of the sunrise this morning over the neighborhood.