Lessons from the side of an icy road…

Wednesday’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Nahum 2-3
NT: Revelation 7
W&W: Psalm 147

Today’s Reflection:

Sorry I didn’t continue my story yesterday. Was focused on getting the rest of our stuff moved from our rental house in Feesburg into our new home here in Bethel! We are thanking the Lord for his goodness!

Monday I wrote about the accident that happened on the road in front of our house. A minivan had flipped over in the ditch. By the time I got down the hill to them, two other vehicles had stopped, and the folks in the minivan had scrambled out of their upside down vehicle and were standing in the field. They were OK.

While talking to them and the folks in the other vehicles, I looked down at the shoulder where I was standing and saw that I was in the path where the minivan had skidded off the highway. Meanwhile, two other cars came around the bend and started sliding on the ice down the hill. They both hit the ditch on the other side. Since the folks were all OK, I decided that I needed to warn other people before they headed down the hill. So I headed up the hill and started redirecting traffic, which kept me occupied for the next 90 minutes as the emergency and recovery crews did their work.

Some observations from this event are in order. Coming from a Christian pastor, my message is pretty predictable.

First of all, I would say people need to be aware of where they are. I have a friend who likes to say we need to be aware of our surroundings – right after he cracks me in the ribs! But, it is true that we need to watch the road we are travelling.

We need to be cognizant of not only the immediate direction, but also the ultimate destination. Sometimes we think we are heading one way when the road actually will take us the wrong way. We also need to know the condition of the road. That mother driving her son to school had no idea that there was ice on the road underneath that light dusting of snow. She had no idea that she would lose control on the curve/hill and plunge into the ditch. She had no idea that disaster was just a breath away. A very serious result was quite possible. We also need to be aware of where we are standing. While I was standing on the shoulder where the minivan had gone over into the 10 foot deep ditch, I was fortunate that another vehicle didn’t follow the same path, pushing me to serious injury and quite possibly death.

The New Testament reading for today is from Revelation 7. Verse 3 says, “Do not harm… until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” God in his mercy puts a shield of protection around us. Often the unsaved as well as the saved are protected by God’s shield of mercy. That is because God wants everyone to be sealed as his own. But, the plain truth of reality is that there come times when God – in his providence – lifts the shield that protects u from earthly danger. (He always shields his own spiritually!) Accidents happen. Life can be changed drastically in a moment – even ended suddenly. We must be ready…

Tune in tomorrow for more lessons from the side of an icy road…

This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:
Micah 7:18-19: Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.