It was 1957, when my dad and his older brother left rural New Mexico and drove west, all the way to Los Angeles, California. The trip, on the recently finished Interstate 10, went smoothly–until they hit the suburbs of L.A.
Six lanes of bumper-to-bumper traffic, with countless on and off ramps, was petrifying! The two “country boys” finally made it downtown to pick up my aunt Betty at the bus station.
Everyone was exhausted, but there was no money for a hotel. So, they turned back for home—my uncle Bill behind the wheel. With sister sitting up front, my dad quickly fell asleep in the back seat.
It was around 10 o’clock at night, so traffic was lighter on the interstate. They were making good time. But, somewhere in East L.A., the car slowed down; dad woke up with them sitting at a stop light. Somehow, uncle Bill had wandered off the interstate and was driving on an access road through a high crime area.
Dad helped my uncle find an I-10 on ramp and soon they were safely back on the motorway. But, ten minutes later, it happened again! He drifted from the right lane onto a side road, lined with broken streetlights and graffiti covered buildings.
Once again, they found their way back on the main thoroughfare. This time my dad made sure his brother was in the far-left lane. “Stay over here!” he pointed, before falling back asleep. The rest of the trip was uneventful; the three made it to a friend’s house in Arizona, and back to New Mexico the next day.
Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm.
Proverbs 4:24-26 (NIV)
There are countless off ramps, on the bustling highway of life. And, in my forty plus years as a follower of Christ, I’ve taken a few of these wrong exits.
How about you, kind reader? Have you ever found yourself at a proverbial red light on an access road in a dangerous part of town? I have. And it makes me want to be a “Mister Left Lane.”😇
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God
Hebrews 12:2 (NIV)
Thank you for reading. 🙏❤️ prayers and love.
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