Signposts in Life

Argentinean race driver Juan Manuel Fangio once told about his experience just after the opening lap of the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix. As he approached a dangerous bend for the second time, he noticed that something was wrong. The faces of the spectators were all turned away from him. “If they are not looking at me,” Fangio thought, “they must be looking at something more interesting around the corner.” So he braked hard and carefully rounded the bend. Immediately, he noticed that his split-second assessment had been accurate. The road was blocked by a massive pileup. His intuitive caution, helped him avoid disaster.

When we are astute enough to see signs of danger, it pays to pay attention and change our course of action.

I once heard of a sign placed on a fence by an Arkansas farmer: “Please do not trample the poison ivy or feed the bull.”

Most of us would appreciate that warning!

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I don’t want to hear words of warning. I get used to things the way they are, and change is hard. But I also know that sometimes the danger signs are real, and if I fail to change course, I’ll have to face the consequences.

I pray today that God would give us eyes to see to the warning signs along the road of life. Whether they come in the form of a friend’s advice, a doctor’s admonition, a challenging sermon, or something else, may we at the very least, listen deeply and commit them to prayer.

Let us pray: God of all wisdom, God of love, we thank you for signposts along the journey. We thank you for friends and loved ones and others whom you have brought into our lives for the better. We ask you again this day for your guidance, your courage, and your peace. Amen.