As I topped the hill, I saw the blue light flashing up ahead just past where I turn in to my house. It looked like an accident. Sure enough, as I neared the scene, I could see the skid marks on the pavement where they had slammed the brakes on and slid into the car that was stopped on the road. Someone was not paying attention. With the highway being worked on and widened, there was ample warning for motorists to be prepared to stop on the highway.
The first big orange sign beside the highway said “Road Work Ahead.” The next big orange sign said “One Lane Road Ahead.” The next big orange sign said “Be Prepared To Stop.” The next big orange sign was a picture of a man holding a flag, and that was within view of the man beside the road holding the stop sign and any traffic that was stopped on the road. Yet, after all the warning, the driver failed to pay attention to the signs along the way and ended up crashing into the vehicle ahead.
It can happen to any of us; it happens frequently. We get preoccupied with things of life and we fail to process the signs and indicators that are set before us that give us warning and direction. We end up careening ahead doing damage to others and ourselves. If we would just learn to listen and process what we hear, see, and know within our heart, how much misery would be spared!
Jesus said the Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit, guides us into all truth and shows us things to come (John 16:13). In another place he said he would “teach you all things” and “bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14: 26). This is an invaluable resource for life and living! This is being in the know and not in the dark. This is big orange signs along the road of our journey. But it is our responsibility to keep our mind and heart tuned in to pay attention and process what is being said to us. God’s Word wishes us above all things to prosper and be in health (3 John 2). That sounds like a good journey is laid out for us, but we need to pay attention to God’s word and make choices in line with what God says to us, or we will be missing the right turns, or, crashing.
The good news is that through leaning on Jesus, the Word, and learning the ways of the Spirit, we can live in his presence and enjoy the journey to the fullest. There are less skid marks.
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