Thankful for the Rumble Strips of Life

Have you ever been driving down the road and found yourself drifting off to the sidelines...or perhaps accidentally crossed the center line...and thankfully there were rumble strips or bumpers there to "wake you up" and help you get back on course?

Today we were traveling on a recently repaired highway in our neck of the woods, which takes us north to the next city...and the closest Walmart.  On the way home my husband sort of drifted off to the side a little, and there were rumble strips built into the white sidelines of the road, which quickly made us aware that we were drifting off the road.  We also realized that there were the same rumble strips down the center line of the road, which will alert you to the fact that you are drifting into the oncoming lane.

Now, make no mistake, my husband is a very careful and skilled driver.  He actually used to be a state trooper many moons ago, and has always been an excellent and safe driver.  But even the very best drivers sometimes drift off to the side or across the center line if they become distracted, or to avoid debris in the road or perhaps another not so careful driver.  On this particular road, it is very straight and somewhat boring if you are not totally "awake"...not much out there to keep you alert as there are only woods and more woods to look at for many miles.  So it is much too easy for drivers to begin to "drift" with the monotony of the trip.

I, for one, am very thankful for these rumble strips.  They helped us to stay on the straight and narrow path and not accidentally run off the road or into the path of an oncoming car.  As a matter of fact, I was so thankful, I pulled out my camera and took these pictures above, because I immediately thanked the Lord for the rumble strips, and also began to think about other kinds of "rumble strips" in life....you know, things that keep us on the straight and narrow path and protect us from veering off course.  I mentioned this to my hubby as we continued our journey homeward, and we both tried to think about other kinds of "rumble strips" in life.  Here's some of what we came up with...and perhaps you might think of a few more:

• The laws of government and highway safety
• Parents, Grandparents,  and other guardians
• Teachers and school leaders, coaches, administrators
• Employers
• The Bible and the Ten Commandments
• Preachers and Evangelists, Youth leaders, Sunday School teachers
• Police, Military

For me, as a Christian, the most important one is the Bible...God's Holy Word.  Without His Word to guide and teach us, we would have no true "rumble strips" to keep us on the straight and narrow path that leads to heaven.  

Jesus taught us in Matthew 7:13-14 about the narrow gate...

13.  "Enter by the narrow gate; 

for wide is the gate and broad is the way 

that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.

14.  Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which

leads to life, and there are few who find it."

Psalm 1 tells us about two ways and two destinies in life:

1.  "Blessed is the man 

who walks not in the counsel

of the ungodly,

nor stands in the path of sinners,

nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

2.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

and in His law he meditates day and night.

3.  He shall be like a tree

planted by the rivers of water,

that brings forth its fruit in its season,

whose leaf also shall not wither;

and whatever he does shall prosper.

4.  The ungodly are not so,

but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

5.  Therefore the ungodly shall not stand

in the congregation of the righteous.

6.  For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

but the way of the ungodly shall perish."

Yes, I am so thankful for those "rumble strips" that lead us in by the "narrow gate", and helps us to prosper in our lives...spiritually, emotionally,  and physically.  I want to be like that tree by the river of water ...and not like the "chaff which the wind drives away."    

Thank You, Lord, for placing these marvelous "rumble strips" into our pathway to keep us on the right path that leads to life everlasting.

Amen.