Crossing the Road

“I pondered the direction of my life, and I turned to follow your laws. I will hurry, without delay, to obey your commands.”  Psalm 119:59-60 (NLT)

For two summers, I drove the bus for the local YMCA.  While on my way to the Y, I saw some gofer rats scooting across the road.   The first one was really big.  It was fat and long and fast.  Out of the corner of my eye I saw it come zooming out of the grass to my left.  It ran in a straight line across the road directly underneath the car in front of me.  To my complete amazement, he safely reached the other side of the road and scurried into the grass!

Then, another day in about the same vicinity, I saw a small mouse come running from the left.  It also ran in a straight line across the road.   However, this time it was going to be under my car and not someone else’s. 

I have always heard about how intelligent mice are.  This one proved himself to me that day.  As he ran across the road, he suddenly stopped right in the middle of my lane in front of me.  Not having time to stop, I kept driving and wondering if I was going to run over him.  Curiously, I looked in my rearview mirror and again was totally amazed to see him safely dashing across the remaining section of my lane into the grass.  It seemed he knew he couldn’t make it all the way across the road and knew exactly where to stop to prevent getting run over by my car. 

After my second encounter with the rats, I began comparing myself to them.  Like the gofer rat, I sometimes take daring chances by running straight in the path of danger, and by the grace of God, barely miss total disaster.  Then, at other times, like the little mouse, I dash out without thinking. Then realizing what I’m doing, I stop just in time to avoid getting into serious trouble.  The bible says in Daniel 9:9, “The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him.”  I am thankful for His mercy and forgiveness - especially during the times when I resemble a rodent more than I resemble His Son.

The next time we find ourselves hurrying, may we take the advice of the Psalmist and hurry without delay to obey His commands.