Burden on Life’s Highway
After work I routinely hop into my car, loosen my tie and reach for the radio. I turn on my favorite jazz station because it always seems to slow down my day. Despite the traffic I usually enjoy the thirty-mile commute home from Delaware to Bel Air Maryland. It generally gives me a chance to disconnect from the workday before I hit the doorstep of the place called home. It was a Monday, after another eventful day at work when I pulled onto the busy highway with the melody of jazz filing my car and clearing my head. Almost immediately, I spotted a black Sports Utility Vehicle up ahead. The SUV caught my attention because, despite the heavy traffic, it was dodging in and out of the lanes. I wondered what could be so important that a person would drive so recklessly in rush hour on interstate 95?
The day was gone and evening had sat in on this midsummer’s night. I enjoy this time of the year, the clear skies and star filled nights and of course the sound of jazz. It is a combination that makes me smile.
Just as I settled in for the commute the SUV driver suddenly reappeared. Like the chaos before a riot or the confusion before an accident best describes the havoc he brought to each lane. I realized that the driver wasn’t simply being reckless, he was cutting in and out of lanes intentionally.
As I slowed down I glanced around at the other drivers. In front of me was an eighteen-wheeler in the center lane driving at normal speed while the driver of the SUV continued to put himself and those of us around him in danger. I watched in as the distance between the SUV and the semi-truck grew smaller. I wondered again, what could possibly be on his mind?
It was at that moment it happened. The semi began to switch to the right lane of the highway as the SUV switched to the left lane. I watched in horror as the SUV’s bumper locked with the unsuspecting semi-truck’s drivers bumper. The huge eighteen-wheeler-dragged the SUV to the right lane like it was a tiny toy model car. The SUV’s front end began to breakup and then as quickly as they had locked together the SUV was released and thrown into the guard rail. Seconds later as I drove past the SUV I could see the driver’s face, he looked startled with fear and bewildered.
Driving down the road I thought about how often we Christians get hooked up with things that drag us down. How often do we get involved in situations that startle us with fear? Too often, we dart in and out of life’s troubles just as the reckless driver darted in and out of lanes on the highway.
We need to slow down and pay attention to where we are going. Jesus says, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” indicating that whatever weighs us down He alone is the answer. No matter what shakes us up in life, we can rely on and put our trust in Jesus. He will lead and guide us in the time of trouble.
Burden on Life’s Highway was written by Reginald Lockhart