Know the path
My friend drove over his buddy’s leg. It was one of those chaotic moments young men create in the mix of being a new driver, hanging out with friends who laugh at everything, and being distracted. Something in that mix would be to blame for why one friend drove over his the other’s leg in the parking lot near Wal-Mart. If chaos wasn’t to blame for this incident, it certainly showed up quickly afterward. The panic of the moment left the driver not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Call and ambulance or the police? Run and hide, or pick up the guy on the pavement?
A moment of clarity caused the injured guy’s two friends to pick him up and load him into the backseat of the car to get him to the hospital. As Murphy would have it, he was taller than the back seat and his head let him know that fact when they shut the door. The highschooler got behind the wheel and piloted the car toward the hospital. The other teen who should have been co-pilot tried to make sure their buddy in the back was doing okay. Aside from hitting a few potholes too hard, the driver did an adept job of getting them across town.
After a few minutes of watching the signs of the businesses they were passing, the injured passenger finally asked, “Guys, where are we? I think you missed the hospital.”
“Oh no!” came the groans from the front seat. Guilt and frustration swept over the driver, as he tried to turn around and head back in the right direction. Who could blame him? It is not like you go to the hospital every day. In a crisis, it is even harder to remember the right path to a place where you can get help.
Like the teen driving the car that day, many people only try to find a place of recovery when tragedy strikes. Watching people’s lives over the years, I have come to believe they think the Lord is a paramedic. They only call on Him out of desperation and when problems arise. How much better it would be to know the path to His presence.
It is a whole lot easier to get someplace when you go there every day. I just visited a big city with my family last week. It took about three days for me to get used to finding my way back to the hotel. Still, I had to watch the signs and pay close attention so I would not have to circle around a few times to get there (as I may or may not have done the first day we arrived). But when it comes to getting to my house, I have no problem. I could probably ride blindfolded in a car and tell someone how to get there. I want a relationship with God like that.
I do not want to go in circles when trouble comes. I want to know the path to the place of help. But I will not know that path if I only go there in emergencies. Daily prayer is how I make the journey to the One who can tend to every affliction. As the song says, “I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall continually be in my mouth!” I do not see the Lord as my fireman or EMT. He is my personal trainer. It seems the more I follow that path into His presence, the fewer emergencies I have.