It Rains on Tuesdays
It was a Tuesday afternoon.
I’m often driving home on Tuesdays after spending a few days with my new grandbaby.
It rains on Tuesdays.
I fill the 3-hour drive with a couple hours of podcasts and a good hour of my favorite worship music (hello, Matt Maher and Cory Asbury).
It was raining particularly hard on this Tuesday. So hard I began to fret. I turned off the music. I concentrated on seeing.
But seeing wouldn’t come easy.
On I-65 the road is crowded with big trucks. I was behind an 18-wheeler in the pelting rain. I eased back a little from him, but not enough to lose his lights.
I needed him.
Isn’t that the way life is? When circumstances or relationships or illnesses begin pelting us, we temporarily lose vision. We can’t see the way. We’re not sure where the boundaries lines are on the road we’re traveling.
We need a light to follow.
5 Ways to Get Home in the Rain
- LOOK FOR A LIGHT
When you can’t see far into the future, look for a light close by. One light may be enough. Just for the next step in front of you. Maybe it’s a faithful friend. Or an encouraging scripture. Or a promise from God that keeps you on the path.
Find the light and focus.
- STAY IN YOUR LANE
Driving on the interstate that Tuesday, my main goal was to stay in my lane. I didn’t want to veer into traffic in other lanes or off the shoulder into the trees. I needed to follow the path that was already there.
Don’t let confusion paralyze you. When you don’t know what decision to make next, keep going the direction you’re headed unless God turns you around. Trust him to let you know if he wants you to turn right or left.
Until then, stay in your lane.
- SLOW IT DOWN
I couldn’t drive 70 mph in the rain that day. It was too dangerous.
Likewise, when your pathway gets foggy, slow down your walk. Don’t rush through the steps, pushing through life to get through to the other side. Take a breath and decrease your speed so you can pay closer attention to the details in front of you.
- KEEP THE RIGHT DISTANCE
When I got too close to the truck in front of me, I drowned in his splatter. But if I drifted too far behind, I lost his light. There was a balanced distance that was just right.
When you’re seeking help from others, keep a balanced distance there, too.
Don’t become so dependent on another person for wisdom that you’re consumed in their shadow. But don’t become a loner either and try to do life alone. Let Jesus guide you in healthy relationships to see you through.
- TURN ON YOUR LIGHTS
I immediately turned on my own car lights when the rain started. Not only did I need to see better myself, but I also needed to be seen. I didn’t need to disappear in the rain and have others bump into me.
When your own problems seem overwhelming, it’s easy to tend toward isolation. But don’t disappear under the weight of your circumstances. Let others know you’re here. Let them see you. Get vulnerable and be helped.
The Rain Will Stop
I experienced something new that afternoon in the rain.
The harder the rain fell, I noticed a change in the truck’s lights in front of me. No longer a solid stream, they became flashers. And the car’s light beside him, too. And the one in front of him.
How have I been driving this many years and never before noticed flashers in the rain?
But it made a difference. It was easier to see in front of me with their flashing lights. I found my flashers and turned them on too for others behind me.
I knew we were all in this together. Strangers on the road were becoming friends on the journey. God never leaves us alone.
We all wanted to get home, wherever home was.
And eventually, as it always does, the rain stopped. The sun came out. The cars sped on.
And I made it home Tuesday night.
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Have you ever had to watch the lights instead of the road? Please share in the comments.
