The light barely reflected off the slick road as I maneuvered the car around a curve. The road had just been repaved with that stuff that looks black and slick when it rains. I personally don't like that type of asphalt. It makes it hard to see the road clearly at night, and when it rains, it looks slippery and dangerous. As I was driving the boys to school this wet, Monday morning, the road played with my eyes. For some reason it looked like I was driving with my lights off. So, I turned them on and off real fast. Yup. They were on. I turned the high beams on for a second. They were most definitely on. I realized I was doing just fine driving and didn't need that extra light to see. The light was already there and was sufficient.
BOOM!
It hit me that is how my walk is with the Lord. Before school the Lord was speaking to my mother's heart (not my mom, but my heart as a mother). A situation with my children that I didn't handle correctly was settling heavy on my heart, and it was in my mind all morning on how I failed to teach my kids a certain concept correctly. My sinful thoughts, actions, and words from yesterday were coming full view in my brain, and I was spending much of the morning trying to get right with the Lord and with those my actions and words affected. So it was no wonder that God chose something as simple as a slick road to show me the Truth.
Just like the lights on car, the Lord is there and working. There are times when I feel that the roads of life I am driving are tricky, slick, and full of danger. There are times when we need reassurance that the Lord is there with us, and that there is really no need to worry. When I turned off my lights, I realized, instantly, how dangerous the roads were without even the slightest bit of light. When I turned the high beams on, I realized that the regular lights were sufficient, and I didn't need to have that bright light to maneuver. (Don't draw the parallel that I don't ever need God's clear, bright light to make it through this world. I'll get to the importance of a bright light in just a second). In those few seconds of playing with my car lights, God opened my eyes to His truth. I need the light. Without the light, I can easily get off the path that He has set me on. There are times when it seems like the light is not on, that God is not in the midst of my everyday actions. But He is. He is helping me on those dangerous curves and even on the straight and simple roads. What a great reminder that God is always there for me!
As for the bright lights, just as there are times when it is necessary for us to use the bright lights, there are times when we really, really need to see God's truth and presence. Those bright lights are there to help us see better when it's really dark, and we need to see the danger far ahead and off to the sides. How appropriate it is God shows himself bright and clearly when we are in major need of Him. As in Matthew 7:14, the path to Him is narrow and many people miss it. Without his bright guidance, it can be easy to miss opportunities to see His Truth.
How do we see the road? Psalm 119:105 says, "[God's] word is a lamp to [our] feet and a light to [our] path." Daily conversations with the Lord, whether it is in prayer or meditation is how we can train our eyes to see the light God shines on the path before us. "We couldn't be more sure of what we saw and heard- God's glory, God's voice. The prophetic word was confirmed to us. You'll do well to keep focusing on it. It's the one light you have in a dark time as you wait for daybreak and the rising of the Morning Star in your hearts" 2 Peter 1:19.
Keeping our eyes, hearts, and minds focused on God's word is the only light we need to see our way to Truth. May the Lord open your eyes today and shine a light on the narrow road that leads to Life.
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