May 17, 2007

Driving in the fog


If you've ever driven the mountain highways between Indiana and Altoona, you know that at times they can be pretty foggy making it very difficult to drive. Recently, I was remembering a time when I had to drive that stretch in the fog and how challenging it was. I had to focus on the lines in the road and on the tail lights ahead of me to keep my bearings. I knew that if I drifted one way I could collide with another car ahead or behind me. Drifting the other way was just as treacherous. I had to slow down and focus hard on those lines to keep on track. I also had to focus on the tail lights ahead of me to gauge my speed and to anticipate which way the road would turn next.

That story came back to me as I thought about how challenging this situation is with Ian. It's treacherous to drift off our course and acknowledge fearful thoughts. If I give in, I'll be in trouble. It's also tempting to embrace and act on selfish, complaining thoughts, but that's just as treacherous. I have to focus hard on the lines provided in Scripture, the incredible promises and truths of Scripture. God is faithful and powerful and kind and good and very much involved. His favor is very much on our lives, though I don't always see it clearly. I have to stay focused on the One who leads us just ahead trusting that He knows where He's taking us. The Lord has been helping us.

Ian continues to be very alert, though he still can't communicate with us. He moves around a lot, now, stretching and shifting. None of these things were happening in the last three weeks he was in the hospital. I don't know where we're going with Ian, but I trust the Lord is doing something.

Thank you for praying for Ian...we want him to talk to us.

Steve

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Once again, you're able to draw a picture with your words of what it's like to follow the Lord, especially when life isn't going the way that we expected it to. It reminds me of Jesus's words about the way of salvation is narrow, but the road to destruction is wide. The road we follow is so very narrow and treachery lies everywhere; especially in our own hearts, just like you said. We're so tempted and so weak and it's so easy to let our attention drift away from the lines that the Lord has drawn so clearly on the road for us. Thank you for such an apt and accurate description of what our lives our like: if we watch carefully and stay, prayerfully, within the lines, our hearts and minds are safe. If we become inattentive and let our attention wander from the Lord and His ways, there are holes and pits that we fall into, and they can be very hard to get out of. I'd rather stay out of them altogether.

I so appreciate the way you describe, in a few words, what your life is like, and then bring our focus back to the One who keeps us safe and secure on the road to Heaven. I'm praying for big things for Ian. I think that that must be o.k., because our God is big and powerful beyond our comprehension. I praise Him for every miracle, and I'm expecting great things from Him.

Please keep telling us what the Lord is showing you. We need it and your instruction is very powerful.

kristi

Anonymous said...

Steve,
The Lord has gifted you with taking every day circumstances to reveal an awesome truth about Himself and the way He cares for us at all times. I am so thankful for His unending supply of grace to those who belong to Him! I was just reading Luke 2 this week and was just so taken aback by a definition of grace that I found: "divine influence upon the heart and its reflection in the life". Your family's lives are so reflecting God's glory. All of you have been able to point people to the Savior upon each entry of this blog. Only God's amazing grace could allow you and your family to shine so brightly for Him in the midst of this trial. Only He could influence people's hearts so greatly when the road is rough. "Now unto Him Who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end, Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21)
Praying with you and the family,
Chris Pusateri

Anonymous said...

Steve - What an excellent analogy! Thanks for sharing it. I am praying this day that Ian will speak. -tim

Anonymous said...

I can't believe how much your words express what my heart is also going through...though I believe you are doing it much more gracefully. I can leave my hotel room in the AM, after devotions, humming the doxolgy, and by the time I get to HMC I am totally involved in some road rage amd/or elevator rage! "I do the very thing I do not want to do". I am so grateful for His beautiful Word...it is truly a lamp for our feet (now, if I could stop blowing it out!).

Anonymous said...

Ho, boy, Steve!
I know that road...I used to work for a company in Altoona (while living here) and Joe and I went up there once for my company's Christmas party. Yeah, in December when it gets dark at, what, about 5:00? It was absolutely, the most treacherous ride of my life! It was dark and foggy like I had never experienced before. I actually wanted to turn around and come back home...but that would have meant driving through the fog AGAIN and we had come too far to turn back.
You are so right, physically and spiritually. It is at those times where we have to stay the course and focus on the reliable markers to get us through.
What a wonderful "marker" we have in God's Word! Such rich promises, such valuable treasures to be mined from deep searching! Thank you so much for reminding us of that. You are indeed fighting the good fight of faith!

Still praying!

Mary Ann K.