MORNING FOG

PRACTICE: Let the imagery of a foggy morning inform your reading.

Some mornings as I leave for work, the fog is so dense around my neighborhood that I can barely see the house across the street. To get to the main road, I drive under a train track and up a hill to a stop sign. As I crest the hill to the stop sign, the fog will often lift. I can see clearly. Other mornings the thick fog hangs on for another mile or so but in almost the same spot every time, the fog miraculously disappears.

My experience has taught me that there is a high probability the fog will clear at one of the spots. My experience has also taught me to slow down and be more vigilant in this situation. Why? Inevitably there is someone driving a dark colored vehicle without lights on or a runner wearing dark colored clothing and earbuds. My vigilance keeps me from hitting another car or running over an unsuspecting runner. My lights alert them to my approach, but I am not provided the same courtesy, so I am cautious.

Life circumstances can be like my driving in the fog. One gets up, gets dressed and prepares to go about life as usual…fog descends …a call from the school that a child is ill…a manager who has major issues at home and today decides to bring them to work…the family member who calls with a diagnosis…the routine doctor’s visit with an unexpected outcome…the coronavirus…all fog.

The first time I experienced the thick fog in my neighborhood, I was tempted to circle the block and go back home until the fog lifted …a career limiting move…so wisdom dictated pressing forward. Life’s foggy places dictate the same. When one can’t see clearly the outcome or end…the inclination might be to bury the head in the sand (go back and wait for the fog to lift) …. most often not a good option.

My humble advice is to recall how you maneuvered similar situations, to watch for the unknowns (cars without lights and runners) and to proceed cautiously. Keep moving. One thing is certain, the situation will get better. How do I know for sure? The death of 4 siblings in 4 years (dense fog) tells me so. I am still standing and pressing forward.

1 Peter 5:10

PONDER THIS THOUGHT—Experience is often one’s best guide.