Never Grumble the Rumble!

It's Monday, the first after a beautiful Christmas celebration and holiday, and I'm at my office, welcoming some bits of routine.  Getting here wasn't the easiest, however, as Sarah and I stayed one more night in Broken Bow to help cheer her dad on during his birthday dinner.  We woke this morning to see that our 20% chance of snow was 100% falling on the ground.  Nevertheless, we decided to forge ahead and try the roads.

As we carefully made our way over snow-covered roads in the dark, snowy expanse of highway 2, I realized on any other day, the sound of the rumble bar under my tires would be a reason to grumble.  On a dry, well-defined road, rumble bars, now in place on both the sides and the median, present themselves as mere annoyances.  For me the rumble bars usually serve as announcement to my passengers that, yes, once again, Jason has decided to pass a vehicle.  Sleepy eyes open wide and spines straighten as if I had just committed to ramping over the next bridge with our vehicle.  The rumble bars also serve as an announcement to my passengers that, yes, Jason has once again taken his eyes off the road to search for a more engaging station.  The bars mostly seem to serve as the first scolding announcement and a handy prompt for more scolds.

I have often thought to myself, why do we keep doing this to our roads?  Is this really a fix to inebriated driving and snow-covered highways?  I haven't really been a fan of the bars in the past.

But this morning, my allegiances changed.  Without any traffic to help light the road and the addition of a moderate snow cover, at times the road lanes were nearly impossible to distinguish from the shoulders during our drive.  The occasional sound of an under-tire rumble and the constant flare of a road-side marker became welcomed (even desired) signs of guidance, protection, and comfort.  I wouldn't have felt nearly as safe or confident without them.

How many times in life when we're cruising along, wanting to get where we are headed, on our own time, in our own fashion, by whatever means we choose, do we begin to grumble when the "rumble bars" of life hum their announcements and warnings.  We want to tell them to mind their own business and quit pointing out all our choices to others.  We want to fly under the radar, insisting we're doing this just fine.

But just like the state of Nebraska felt it was worth the added expense to lay endless miles of studded tracks down the sides and middles of our roads, God also knows the deeper value of the warnings, revealing truths, and gift of accountability He has put alongside our ways.  When we swear we're doing just fine, God seems unfair and a little too controlling or condemning.  But in all honesty, whether the "weather" is fair or not, God's annoying rumble bars and road markers are often the very things that save our lives and guide our ways to safety and good outcomes.  They are there, in the sun and the snow, to guide and care for us.

And so, even when we do grumble, let's remember to give thanks for the rumble bars of life and the roads.

More to come!

Jason <><