Confession: I drive too fast.
I’m the only daughter of a mechanic who claims he missed his calling as both a preacher and a race car driver. Maybe some things just run in my blood. I have halted many of my reckless ways as an adult, but I do have to keep my lead foot in check from time to time.
Generally, I am an adrenaline junkie, but not this night.
This particular night the sky had been ripped at the seams. The clouds were too thick to see 15 feet in front of the high beams and the headlights had nothing on the blue/white brilliance of the storm split scene when the lighting crackled through the rain ravaged trees.
Back country roads in east Tennessee were not made for flash floods like this one. Intermittent puddles and washed-out riverbeds crisscrossed the road like they owned this land.
So tonight, I was practicing caution. But I was following the black tailgate and bright red lights of my little brother’s truck, racing my way to a house he had recently purchased. I did not know the way. I did not know these roads. But I knew my brother.
My brother knows me. He knows I drive fast, and he is competitive. No one wants to show me up more than he does. No doubt that even in the oil slick streets, he still wants to make an impression. On a clear day, he would. But not tonight.
I know my brother. He is competitive. But he is cautious. He overthinks everything. He is safe. He is dependable. He wants to win, but at zero expense. He may decide to drop the hammer, but he will calculate every single detail beforehand and along the way.
Shifting into third we rounded a corner, lightening flashed. Tail lights ahead picked up speed. I laid on the gas in response. Brake lights flashed, and I slowed. Heart hammering and the adrenaline junkie in me coming out, I laughed out loud a little nervously.
But I know my brother. He took a break, because he knows the road and he knows me. If he shows the road no mercy, I won’t either. And my brother loves me more than he loves this game of sibling rivalry.
We brake past a turn. Past barbed wire pastures on both sides of the two-lane road. And he dips. Out of nowhere, gathering speed and with no brakes, my little brother’s truck faints left hard into the other lane.
Without hesitation, with no time to think about it, I follow his path. I don’t question it, I don’t panic, I just pull to the left and follow those lights until they lead me back to the right side of the road.
We were home, parked, and shaking off the onslaught in his kitchen two minutes later.
“I was wondering what you would do.” He said.
“You mean when you dodged hard left out of that turn back there?” I asked.
“Yeah! There is huge pothole right there and this rain might have washed it out even more. The city really needs to fix it, because it could really tear someone’s car up. I forgot about it until we were right there on it. I skip it out of habit…I wasn’t sure if you would follow me blind like that or not. I am so glad you did. Probably would be waiting on a tow truck right now if you hadn’t been brave in that moment.”
“I wasn’t being brave. I know you. I know you might test a speed limit, and I know you know these roads, but I know for sure you would never double dog dare me in a dangerous situation, because you know I always rise to a dare. So, you know better. I am a risk you would not take.”
“And as soon as you followed my lead, I knew that you trusted me blindly. In the dark. Weird.” He said.
“Cool.” He said.
And isn’t it cool? Isn’t that rare? Isn’t it special when you just know that someone wants to show you the way home and wants to share a new path with you and wants you to find joy in the ride, but they know you? And they look out for you? They take your impulses into account and they measure how much you can push on your own. They show you where to divert when there is danger in the path ahead. They make a way and they keep the pace and they want you to laugh but their number one concern is to land you at home safely?
Isn’t that love? Isn’t that family? Isn’t that what it should be, if it’s not like the one you had?
There is a Father that loves you and designed you so He KNOWS you. He knows that this world is both beautiful and treacherous. He knows that storms come and pathways get washed out. He knows that we can be impulsive and rebellious, and He values our souls and our purpose. He knows us. It is up to us to recognize His light so that in a storm, we will follow him. No questions asked. Even in the most tumultuous of circumstances, he anticipates your reaction.
Build your faith until you can trust blindly and know that your God will light your path, leading you safely home.
Well Water Life 