In my latest Fall Follies blog, you saw that we ended up on an "Unmaintained Road" in the mountains of Pennsylvania.
Although I made light of it, it was anything but trivial. The rocks jutted out of the road so high that only careful maneuvering kept us from getting stuck or damaging my truck. The several-mile-long road was one lane. One side was the rock wall of the mountain and the other was a sheer drop-off to the valley if you managed to miss the trees on the descent. There were no guardrails. Neither the map nor the sign adequately indicated how treacherous the road ahead was, but once we were on it, there was no turning back or backing up. We had to press forward to a better road.
In 1999, while traveling with my kids, we slid at a curve covered with black ice on an “unmaintained” country road in southern PA. We hit a telephone pole that lipped the van on its side and caused us to slide down an embankment. There were no guardrails. Three of our four children ended up in a trauma unit, two of them hanging between life and death. The prognosis, should they survive, was not good. Had there been guardrails, our story would have been a non-event as I was traveling at a very slow rate of speed.
Just as maintained roads with guardrails are important for our physical well-being, so is a well-maintained spiritual life necessary to live Godly and avoid disaster. Acts 2:28 says:
“Thou hast made known to me the ways of life: Thou wilt make me full of gladness with Thy presence.” That could also be translated as “Thou has shown me the characteristics of a blessed life/the life that satisfies.”
His laws are our roadmap. Everything we need to live life successfully is found in the pages of His Word. It is our guardrail.
While most like guardrails on highways, many hate the guardrails of scripture not realizing that they keep us from harm, ensure that we will arrive at our desired destination, and will fill our lives with gladness along the way. Many complain about God's laws because they misinterpret them as being restrictive. when in truth, they are a blessing.
Today I am thankful for God's guardrails.
Although I made light of it, it was anything but trivial. The rocks jutted out of the road so high that only careful maneuvering kept us from getting stuck or damaging my truck. The several-mile-long road was one lane. One side was the rock wall of the mountain and the other was a sheer drop-off to the valley if you managed to miss the trees on the descent. There were no guardrails. Neither the map nor the sign adequately indicated how treacherous the road ahead was, but once we were on it, there was no turning back or backing up. We had to press forward to a better road.
In 1999, while traveling with my kids, we slid at a curve covered with black ice on an “unmaintained” country road in southern PA. We hit a telephone pole that lipped the van on its side and caused us to slide down an embankment. There were no guardrails. Three of our four children ended up in a trauma unit, two of them hanging between life and death. The prognosis, should they survive, was not good. Had there been guardrails, our story would have been a non-event as I was traveling at a very slow rate of speed.
Just as maintained roads with guardrails are important for our physical well-being, so is a well-maintained spiritual life necessary to live Godly and avoid disaster. Acts 2:28 says:
“Thou hast made known to me the ways of life: Thou wilt make me full of gladness with Thy presence.” That could also be translated as “Thou has shown me the characteristics of a blessed life/the life that satisfies.”
His laws are our roadmap. Everything we need to live life successfully is found in the pages of His Word. It is our guardrail.
While most like guardrails on highways, many hate the guardrails of scripture not realizing that they keep us from harm, ensure that we will arrive at our desired destination, and will fill our lives with gladness along the way. Many complain about God's laws because they misinterpret them as being restrictive. when in truth, they are a blessing.
Today I am thankful for God's guardrails.
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