Sunday, January 27, 2008

speed bumps

Speed bumps. I hate them.
I thought that I would be rid of them after highschool. I remember thinking: I can’t wait to graduate! I won’t have to drive over stupid speed bumps ever again!
WRONG.
What does every college parking lot have? Speed bumps.
After college there would be no more speed bumps… not in the real world, right? Nope.
What does every apartment complex in the city have? Speed bumps.
Oh, and every office complex? More speed bumps.

Just the other day, as I was driving over the speed bumps in the parking garage at my new job, I got to thinking…

Seems like they’re every where- in every stage of life.
I hate them. They’re unavoidable and annoying.
But we all know why they’re there. To keep people from speeding through places they shouldn’t so that they won’t wreck anything hurting themselves or someone else.

Just when you think that you can speed through life – you hit a speed bump.
That first one is always a nasty surprise if you’re speeding through and you don’t see it.
It could cost you too- you might need new struts and suspension on your car- especially if you just try to fly over all them without slowing down like I did.
Lesson learned- I’ve learned to slow down.

Let me ask you this: Ever seen anyone just completely stop at a speed bump? Get out of their car and call it quits? They’re just bumps- not walls- you can still drive forward.
Like asphalt speed bumps, life’s speed bumps are only intended to slow us down- not stop us entirely. They’re not walls.

When I was in college, a fellow student had taken a bulldozer and tried to take out all the speed bumps in one of the parking lots. That didn’t prove effective. All it did was rip some serious holes into the road.

I know I’m not the only one who wishes to be rid of speed bumps forever.
But, I can’t be rid of them forever- I have to learn to deal with them and slow down. After all, I’d rather slow down than deal with repairing some major holes and doing road construction in my life.

I kinda feel like I’m going through a life full of speed bumps right now. Doesn’t God know I’m a safe driver? Speed bumps aren’t necessary in my life, right? I’m always cautious and never irresponsible. But maybe it’s not about learning something at all… maybe I could speed through life like a professional race car driver without bringing harm or injury to anyone.
Or could it be that I might miss something? Is it the scenery that He wants me to see? Or is it that He wants me to be a part of the scene? I wish I could see the overall picture that He has in mind.
Every once in awhile, I get in a funk… I feel like I’ve hit a wall. Feel like I’m not going anywhere and there’s no way of escape. Then I get on the other side of it and see… it was just a bump.