Guard rails

I have come to a deep appreciation  for guard rails.  They aren’t very attractive mind you, and at times I wonder why they are there in a particular spot.  I am stating here and now though, my total, complete and committed vote for guard rails.  I have also become a fan of Fish and Game officers.  I know, an odd combination: guard rails and Fish and Game guys, and yet, they will forever be tied together in my memory.

My husband and I had traveled to visit our daughter and bonus-son for the time between Christmas and New Years.  We attended church on Sunday morning and then crawled into our truck for the 6 hour drive home.  We made it about 2 hours and then decided to take a detour on the black ice adventure route.  As the truck began to spin, I remember my husband say, “hold on!” Round and round is not much fun unless you are in teacups at Disneyland.  We hit the guard rail solid and flat on my side, bounced off and then went round again to hit on his side and then stopped.  We were right next to the guard rail, on the shoulder, but facing the wrong  way.  Without the guard rail, we’d have gone down a steep embankment, possibly rolling the vehicle.  Love those guard rails.

Have you ever really looked at a guard rail?  Those posts appear to be 4×4, with a 4×4 piece attached that the guard rail is attached to as well. The screw ends are LARGE, so I’m assuming the screw itself goes through the metal and both pieces of wood.  I call that a serious screw.  The posts are not spaced haphazardly.  They give the metal rail strong stability, without it being a cement wall.  They aren’t Princess Pretty, but oh are they powerfully practical and providentially prodigious.

The first officer on the scene was a Fish and Game officer.  The highways were bad and when the highway patrol and sheriff’s office gets overwhelmed, the Fish and Game department helps out.  He couldn’t fix our car, he couldn’t tell us if we were going to get a ticket or not, nor could he tell us how long we would wait to be rescued.  He was so very kind and understanding.  He came to make sure we were okay.  Just as I am a bit amazed by my guard rail fascination, I am also struck by how overwhelmed I become when thinking of the Fish and Game guy and how incredibly nice and kind he was.

There’s so many little things that happened over the next 24-48 hours.  But the guard rail and the Fish and Game officer resonate with me over and over. God allowed the truck to spin.  Life is like that. Sometimes things just get out of control, and we get to go along for the ride.  Then God places a guard rail and circumstances come to a complete halt.  It’s jolting and scary, AND also wondrous and comforting.  At one point, as we waited for help, I looked at my husband and said, “my pastor would say, ‘God isn’t surprised by this.'” My husband, the pastor, smiled at me, because we knew it to be true.  Even as we wait to hear the insurance company’s decree on our vehicle, we know God sees us, and is not surprised by anything that seems to still be spinning.  Guard rails now remind me that God is good even when it’s hard, and that He is always big enough to handle whatever seems out of control from my perspective.  The Fish and Game officer reminded me how just a little bit of kindness goes such a very long way.  I don’t know anything about fish or game, but I do understand kindness.  And on that afternoon, that gentleman was Jesus to us in the most simplistic way.  I can do that.  I can be kind, even if I really can’t change a circumstance or offer any substantial assistance. Kindness can often be just what is needed.

Wet roads currently make me extremely cautious. I often feel like I’m going to burst into tears.  I don’t like letting my husband out of sight for a long period of time.  And I know the presence and peace of God Almighty. Sometimes God comes disguised as a guard rail or a Fish and Game officer. I’m good with that.