It
was Thanksgiving break at seminary. I could go home to Madison
Although
there was a snowstorm coming from the west, as I handed the paper in and went
back to my apartment to shower and pack a few things, the sun was still shining.
I wasn’t overly concerned about the storm. When I got into the car and started for
home, I felt good. My work was done for the weekend. I had even taken a few
extra minutes to do some cleaning before I left.
As
I left, I looked out to the west and thought that maybe I should have left
sooner. The roads were still dry, however, and, although the clouds looked
ominous, I would be driving away from the storm. Along the way, I stopped for a
burger and some much-needed coffee. The first flakes of snow started to fall before
I was halfway home. In the next few minutes, the weather couldn’t decide what
it was going to do. There was thunder and lightning with freezing rain, then
there was sleet that changed back to rain. The road was still good, but it was
getting slushy. Ten more miles and it decided to start snowing for serious.
It
was very wet snow that sticks to the wipers and headlights. Slowly the road
started to disappear. I slowed down. The road was getting slippery. I couldn’t
see the difference between the road and the ditch. I noticed that not only were
the wipers clogging, but also the windshield was fogging up. I turned up the
heat and the fan on the defroster. Then I noticed that the car was getting
colder.
At
an overpass, I stopped to check the radiator and discovered that the thermostat
had died. I cleared the wipers and the windshield and wiped off the lights. Again,
the windshield started fogging. I found a bunch of napkins left from lunch and
started wiping the inside of the windshield. I had been down shifting; finally,
I was in first gear, traveling about 5 mph with my flashers on. I kept thinking
that I was going to go into the ditch then I would see another reflector pole
and then another mile marker. I kept thinking, “God, I hope you know where I am
because I haven’t a clue.
I
planned on stopping at the next town. “Thank God,” I thought when I finally saw
lights on the horizon. As the lights got brighter, I noticed that the snow was
letting up. Suddenly I could see the road and, with great amazement, I saw that
I was in the middle of my lane. Soon the snow had stopped, and I drove safely
into Madison
“Next
time,” I thought, “I’m going to wait longer or start earlier.” In the meantime,
I was glad to be alive. I felt delivered from truly distressful circumstances.
Prayer
Lord, how small our
accomplishments seem when compared to the forces of your world. Yet, you have
chosen to save us, even from our own foolishness so we give you thanks for your
handiwork and compassion. Amen 
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