The driving conditions are treacherous. The weather is hazardous. The office is open. I must make an effort.
Chemically wet roads. Black ice. Falling snow. Cold weather. The combination makes the dark morning even more ominous. And it’s Monday.
Snow trucks are plowing the roads. Drivers must be cautious. The going is slow. Some drivers are overly cautious. Going 25 miles per hour under the speed limit. All cars behind the slow leader are anxious. Knowing they need to go slow. But also knowing that too much caution causes others to take unnecessary chances. Who is to blame? Mother Nature? It is winter. After all.
Use caution on overhead bridges. We’re told. Slow down going around tight curves. Watch the tire pressure. Make sure the windshield is clear. Pay close attention to other drivers. Have food and water in the car. Pack blankets. All good advice.
The storm passes. Days go by. The big one is coming. Snowpocalypse. They’re calling it. Snowmageddon. How bad will it be? How much snow will fall? Will ice be packed under the snow? Do we hunker down and wait it out? Or do we venture out? Stay home unless you have to go out. That’s what we’re told.
Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partners of Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end. Hebrews 2:12-14
We’re all travelling the road of life. Some of us have been travelling it for oh so many years. Many others are just a few short years into the journey. It is a series of treacherous paths. Oh. Not all paths are hazardous, but many are. One wrong turn. One bad decision. One poorly timed word. One distraction. It can throw life into a whirlwind of unexpected events and consequences. Possibly never going back to what we knew as normal.
I think of King David. Man of God. Loved by his people. He caught a glimpse of a married woman bathing in private. The glimpse turned to lust. Her husband was off to war. He would never know. So David claimed her as his own. She became pregnant. The husband, a great warrior, was killed on the front lines. God brought judgment. The baby died. David repented. God forgave and restored.
I think of another man who made a private decision to sin. The result became very public. When asked about it. And he was always asked. He had to tell what he had done. He had to admit that the private act caused a public display. As he would tell the story, it would become obvious what he had done. That he had sinned. He was sorry. He was repentant. He was humiliated. This one act impacted him for the rest of his life.
Sin is deceitful. It looks attractive. It sounds beautiful. It tastes good. It feels good. Until it’s over. Until the deed is done. Until the word is said. Then the truth comes out. Feelings of being used. Feelings of regret. Feeling ugly and unloved. Feeling that the world will learn or see what you’ve done and will no longer accept you. It’s hard to accept yourself. How will others see you?
We pilgrims walk this road called life. We must pay close attention. Use caution. Think things through. We must be on guard and not get caught up in sin. We must walk the slippery road with the guide book in hand. We must study that guide book to know the way we should take. It will direct us down the right path. The path to eternal life.
