Rumble Strips
You’re drivin down the highway or byway, just minding your own business, and you see a gasline, powerline or some other “cut-out” coming up, so you take your eyes off the road for a split second to check it for deer or turkeys … next thing you hear, “ RRRHHHGGGHHH !!” … and you bring your ride back between the painted lines. What you just felt and heard ? “Rumble Strips”. The highway commission or county road crew installed these “washboard” ridges to let a brother/sister know they were going off the beaten path … a “warning” device, of sorts, developed by a dude named, Neil E. Wood, from Pennsylvania, back in 1989. There were similar versions back in the early 50’s used to alert motorists of upcoming toll booths and lane departures, but ol Neil gets the credit for the ones we enjoy today. As is the case many times, God uses inanimate objects to convey His messages to those of us that need a “picture” to learn 😄…and rumble strips can be a great teacher. What if, every time we “got outta line”, ignored His commands or did things “our way”, we’d hear, “RRRRGGHHHH” … would that “warning” wake us up to reality and prevent us from making a huge mistake ? Would a rumble strip, and that unmistakable noise, capture our attention to the fact that we’re going “outside” God’s boundaries, causing and convincing us to “pull back on the throttle”, to keep from crashing ? It’s the distractions of this world that causes us to leave the path of righteousness and do damage to what’s most precious. If the Spirit of God doesn’t reside in us, we don’t HAVE a rumble strip. Even then, He’ll still allow us to choose our course. By staying focused on His Word, loyal to His mission and “lettin Him drive”, we can be a part of something way bigger than we could ever imagine ! Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position” ( 2 Peter 3:17 ). As my Pennye Jacobs Lewis says, “ You’re not asleep; are you ?”