Tuesday, January 28, 2014 is a day that we in Birmingham
will long remember – the light dusting of snow that suddenly and unexpectedly
became chaos of epic proportions. In a
city that rarely has to handle winter weather, our usual defense against it is
to cancel everything and stay home. But
this day started out business as usual, expecting nothing more than a few
insignificant snow flurries. Suddenly
and unexpectedly the temperatures dropped and dropped and the snow fell and
fell and fell, and parents rushed to get their children at school and working
people rushed to get home, and the streets quickly became an icy car strewn
mess resembling an apocalyptic movie set.
My son called me thinking he would come down to work on his
truck since he was getting off work early.
His voice changed dramatically as his truck began to slip on the icy
street. This mother’s heart skipped a
few beats while he regained control and shifted into 4 wheel drive. Plans changed and he headed toward his
apartment to weather out the storm, not realizing that his sliding truck was
multiplied thousands of times across the city.
His next call to me was not of plans or panic, but
frustration at the gridlock he was in.
Cars everywhere, not moving. I
pulled it all up on my computer and we talked of other possible routes. He inched forward. There was no going back, only hopeful inching
forward.
The next call was encouraging. An ambulance had pulled out and traffic
appeared to be creeping forward. But by
now there were abandoned cars on the road, sticking out into traffic. He couldn’t see any lines on the street, they
were covered with ice and snow. Hazards
on every side. And his truck was
beginning to overheat. He could see
several church steeples ahead, surely one of them would be open and he could
let his truck cool off and himself warm up, and maybe some of the traffic would
clear.
A half hour later he called again, he had taken shelter not
in a church, the church was locked, but in a day care. Some walkers had also stopped there to warm
up before trekking on. I was frantically
looking for alternate routes. There were
none. I thought of who I knew in the
area, nobody on his route. There was
nothing to do but drive forward, inching and creeping toward home. I stared at the computer screen and prayed.
The next call he was finally approaching the interstate. Nearly 4 hours had passed since his first
call. I was looking at traffic maps and
there was no way he would ever make it to his apartment. Every road was blocked. But south, toward our house, looked like it
might be passable. I suggested he come
here, and he headed south. And he made it. I began to breathe again as he walked into
the house. By then I had seen the
pictures and heard the reports from all over the Birmingham area, and I
realized how blessed he was to have made it out. So many people were trapped in their cars or
at work or wherever they could find shelter.
Children trapped in schools, little ones trapped in daycare, I knew how
I would feel if I couldn’t get to my child in the midst of this chaos and
danger.
Several days later the sun is shining, the roads are
cleared, and life is continuing on. My
daughter called on her way home for a visit from college… first with car
problems and then with stopped traffic and detours on the interstate. She needed advice and help and directions. As I sit and ponder the past week, I realize
how much my children’s journeys are like my own life.
I am often sliding down a slippery road full of
hazards. I can’t see the big picture,
only the road in front of me. I call,
not to a fallible earthly parent, but to a sovereign omniscient God who can see
the whole thing: where I’ve been, where I’m going, the conditions of the road,
the weather, everything. Not just see
it, but He created it, He directs it, He laid the plans for all the events of
my life, and He’s actually there with me in it.
I call to Him and He gives me the direction I need to creep along the
road. He provides shelter in unlikely
places. He keeps me safe until I get
home, truly home, in Heaven. My road, no
matter what the turnings and twistings and hazards are, will surely lead me Home,
because He has called me to Himself, and He Himself hangs on to me. I am not in control of the weather or the
road conditions or the other cars or even whether my own vehicle will break
down. But He is, and He is with me the whole
way through. And eventually, even after
many wrong turns and stalls and even wrecks, He will bring me safely home.
May I call on Him for help as naturally as my children call on
me.
©Rebecca A
Givens, 02/03/14
