It's Foggy ...



Fog rising in the woods at my parents' place.  Photo courtesy of my mother.



Ever try driving down a foggy road, where you can't see very far into the distance?  You drive with a good deal of caution tempered with dogged trust and determination.  That's what happened to me yesterday morning.  The Alabama River snakes it's way back and forth through the hills and valleys of Autauga and Elmore Counties, and alongside Interstate 65 heading south into the city of Montgomery.  I live in Prattville, whose elevation is considerably higher than that of Montgomery.  As soon as I got in the car I knew the drive to work would be anything but fun.  I was right!  Coming down out of the hills and onto the Interstate, I could see maybe three or four cars ahead of me.  I gripped the steering wheel, watched my speed and the speed of others, and headed for town.  What's really tricky is that at one point in the ten miles between Prattville and Montgomery, traffic merges onto the Interstate from the Millbrook area.  And when it does, it generally congests and even stops the three lanes of traffic heading south.  Thankfullyschool is out this week and a lot of folks stayed home yesterday.  Otherwise this merging traffic, combined with the low visibility, could have caused some serious problems.



Photo courtesy of my mother, Glenda Coon.

Life's like that, isn't it?  The fog of life hovers over us and we don't see what we are heading into.  We don't know what good and bad experiences lie ahead.  When I think about it, I consider that a good thing.  How would I live my life if I knew about the bad experiences I would have?  Or how would I live my life if I knew about the good experiences that were ahead?  In either case I certainly wouldn't be thinking of the present, but the future.  And I would miss out on the blessings of the present. 

The Bible talks about the same thing when Jesus said to consider the lilies of the field, or when he talked about the birds of the air.  Neither thought of or worried over the future, just the present.  They were under God's protection.  This certainly doesn't mean we shouldn't plan for our futures.  Jesus also taught a parable of the three servants who were given portions of the master's money.  One refused to invest and buried it in the ground.  The other two were wise and made good returns on their investments.  God honored blessed the two wise servants, while the foolish servant had to suffer the consequences of his inaction.

The key is we should not worry about the future, but we should make wise preparations.  Nothing can happen to us that is not under God's control. Like the fog, go in with the lights on, the hands on the wheel, prepared to make adjustments as dictated by the circumstances, and trust God.



Reese