February 12, 2007
By Leah Taber

 

So I learned my lesson this morning.

I run out of my house, sprinting to my car like a mad woman; I was running about 5-10 minutes late, which isn’t life threatening but just enough to get my adrenaline pumping and to whisper prayers under my breath that I would meet my desk before my boss did. Usually traffic is pretty steady in Farmington, MI and there’s always some way to beat the light.

 

Not this morning. This morning I met a salt truck.

Noooooo!

It’s like it came out of nowhere--salt spraying and hitting my tires and windshield, reminding me that it would probably be a good idea to slow down. Street after street we passed, I drove ancy in anticipation that maybe, just maybe, this salt truck would veer off course and go down some other street, instead of steadily but slowly making it’s procession down my route to work. I hoped for it. I prayed for it. I was in a parade of cars. Going 25 instead of the normal 45 mph. No passing lanes. No gravel sides. Nothing that could give me hope that I would have a chance to pass this orange monster.

And then I saw it. An upcoming traffic light. Without hesitation, I whipped my car around, hit the gas, turned left, and left the truck behind. Whew, thank you Jesus! I exclaimed and focused on getting to work. A twinge of sympathy surfaced as I honored a few seconds of silence for all of those other poor victims who would have to succumb to the decreased speed. Though I didn’t let that bother me. I kept driving.

As I was nearing work, I got into the left lane and waited in line to, once again, turn left. Only a mile away from work. Just as I was turning, a speeding car flew over the hill and ran the red light. Their red light. My green light. It’s like it came out of nowhere--and missed my car by mere inches. “Jesus!” I barely had time to gasp it out.

 

Shaky, I kept driving, stunned at the near wreck. I looked over my shoulder at the car and couldn’t believe what I saw. At the corner was the same salt truck with the same line of cars that I had passed a few miles back; sitting safely on the other side. I shook my head in disbelief. I thought I had taken a short cut to get around that salt truck. I avoided my regular route to work because, even though the salt truck was paving the way for me, and letting its cargo create a safe environment on the road I was traveling down, I didn’t have the patience to wait.

Then It Hit Me

God is our salt truck.

How many times have we gritted our teeth and tried to look for every side street or short cut because we couldn’t wait for life? How many times have we muttered underneath our breath because our pace was slowed down and we had to learn how to drive with patience? Little do we know, at the time, that whenever we try to solve the problem for ourselves, we encounter danger; a reality check veering in from nowhere. We think we’ve got the game, the know-how of what it takes to get us from Point A to Point B, just sneak onto that little side street we think that God can’t see.

 

Reality puts us in our place, so that when we finally do look back at the whole picture, we see that God was there all along. And that even though His path was steady and slow, He provided tracking underneath our feet so that we wouldn’t slip or slide off of the road.

Paul wrote, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Humbling, But True

God knows the direction in which we are headed. He also knows the end from the beginning. So instead of wasting our time with side streets and short cuts, follow His lead, His timing, His direction; all at His speed. The New Testament states, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6:9).

Eventually we’ll get there. Eventually we will discover Point B. Yet understand this--slow and steady always wins. Drive with patience. By God’s grace, you will get there.

Just a thought as I drove in to work.

 

ninetyandnine.com

 

© 2007, Leah Taber

 

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Recently laid off, Leah K. Taber is gleefully spending her “paid vacation” planning and solely depending on God for her next eminent move in life. She has filled her time with writing, studying, playing the violin and cello, and baking a monumental amount of chocolate chip cookies.