It reminds me of one epic night gone wrong from my teenage years.
A band of teenage boys piled into our friend's Ford Bronco headed for Jack's River. One dreary night. In one vehicle. One unprecedented, unstoppable force of a vehicle.
As we approached Jack's River bridge, currently out of commission for repairs, we noticed large equipment and a huge puddle of mud where these backhoes had been excavating the river's banks. It had simultaneously become our quaintest dream and greatest temptation.
The last words I remember were, "Gas it!"
And off he went, steering the unsinkable ship right into the dregs of this amazingly deep puddle of mud that nearly swallowed up this beast of a Bronco like a matchbox car in the bathtub.
Did I mention we made this trek to the wilderness area of Jack's River at night? Midnight, to be exact!
After several failed attempts to place sticks and some random 2x4 under the tires to inch our way out of the mess we'd made, we began our journey down the long dusty roads of shame.
We walked two hours in the middle of the night before we ever crossed paths with some random couple driving through the mountains who could only offer a ride to my friend who had driven the Bronco into the gaping hole of perilous defeat.
I don't think it ever dawned on us, "what was this couple doing driving through the mountains at 2am?" At that point, we didn't know and we didn't ask. We just wanted to be home. We wanted to see daylight again!
And do you know what I learned that night? That my parents were right! Nothing good happens after midnight!!!
And here's what else I learned. Enthusiasm should be coupled with wisdom. Looking back, what we did was fun but it wasn't smart.
Veering off the course has detrimental consequences; that was a long, scary walk through the night. And our parents were not happy. At all.
Nothing man-made is invincible; every mortal has its limits and eventually will expire.
When we gather in our homes or around the table in a restaurant, we re-tell stories like this because these experiences have shaped and helped define who we are.
But the truth is, if we miss the point or the principle these memories were meant to teach, we may find ourselves repeating them. And repeating the painful stories that have already unfolded in our life isn't God's intent.
To be smart, to do good, to depend on others; those are noble pursuits. But sometimes God allows us to take detours in life to learn these lessons. To remind us that we don't have this figured out. That we still need Him to be present in our lives.
So, the next time you feel like driving your Bronco off the road or you feel like you've been hit by a Mack truck, remember, God is willing to walk with you down that long dusty road in the middle of the night. And you can rest assured; morning is coming!
No comments:
Post a Comment