Look Both Ways

It was good advice and still is. The truth is, where I lived as a boy it was not a big problem. The road I lived near was gravel and wagons don’t travel fast enough to smash you. There were a few cars chugging down the road leaving a cloud of dust, but I don’t remember anyone ever getting hit. They finally put in a paved road and cars got faster, and looking both ways became important advice.

Pausing to look both ways is not just about getting across the road, but it is also about getting the most out of life. I’ve looked back a bit lately and found new strength to face the future. There are lessons to be learned from the difficult moments of life. I have come through some difficult times, times when I wasn’t sure if I would come out on the other side. Looking back I am encouraged because God has always been faithful. His record is spotless. He has been more than enough. Now I know one can’t live life always looking back--that would be backing into your future, but our history will serve us well if we stay in touch with it. It is not all something to be forgotten. Acknowledging where we have been will help us get where we want to go.

“Look both ways” is advice for a moment of decision. It is about getting to the other side safely. The other side could mean a lot of things. The other side of any problem is best solved by looking both ways. Getting smashed on life’s highway is not the way to go. The Scripture is filled with examples of people who failed to look both ways. David didn’t look both ways before he took another man’s wife. Judas didn’t look both ways before he betrayed our Lord. Sampson didn’t look both ways before he took Delilah. Looking both ways we can learn the lessons of history and live in the hope of the future. jfs

Scripture: (Proverbs 4:14-15) Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on. (NKJV)

Refuge

Life events will teach you something if you will pay attention. One of the first things you are taught in pilot training is, never fly into a thunderstorm. The violence of a thunderstorm can rip the wings off a small plane. Over the thirty- five years of my flying I have spent the night in unexpected places several times because of these big bad boys. I well remember a cross country trip with a couple of my friends when the path up ahead was dark and foreboding. Towering cumulous spoke loudly, “don’t fly this way.” It was one of those moments in life when my heart rate kicked up a notch. Being aware of the closest airport, it didn’t take me long to decide to put the little bird on the ground. The airport was in the mountains of North Georgia and when we landed we found it to be unattended. The little building was locked, and rushing to tie down the little bird before the wind blew and the storm raised its angry head we had no place to go. Then I noticed an old car sitting round back of the building. Running to it we found the doors open. We jumped inside and were very thankful for a place to ride out the wind and rain. It was just an old abandoned car, but for us it became a refuge from the storm. We all need a refuge from the storms of life. It would be nice if we could just avoid them altogether, but as you know that is not always possible. Could it be that people who abuse drugs and alcohol are looking for a refuge, a moment of peace, temporary calm, a false hope for a storm-tossed life? Life is a cross country journey. We simply can’t stay home. We journey whether we want to or not. We get married, children show up, we change jobs and we grow older everyday. In this life’s journey it is good to have a refuge where the door is always open, a place to ride out the storms before we move on toward our destination. There is a refuge available to all of us, and it is not religion. It is a person, Jesus. In Him there is forgiveness and hope, in Him there is acceptance and unconditional love. He doesn’t promise us a smooth journey but He does promise to be with us. He said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Your ride may be bumpy but you are not alone. So the old car kept us safe during the storm. The rain stopped and we continued our journey home. You can make it home too if you will take spiritual refuge in Jesus Christ. jfs