The Little Pebble

While driving, there are a lot of signs that point towards dangerous situations. These warnings allow us to make changes to our course before we arrive at the problem spot. Some signs tell us construction work is approaching. Others may reveal road conditions or even that the lane is about to end. Warnings may also include flashing lights or barricades.

Regardless of how prominent they are, some people ignore these warnings. People do not always slow down for construction which besides their safety affects the safety of the workers.  People have hit large construction trucks or fallen in holes because they went around barricades. Many of us have seen footage of police officers getting crushed while on the side of the road even though the bright lights were flashing.

The first question many people ask when seeing these events is, “Did you not see the warnings?” The real problem is that most of them just ignore them. They did not want to change directions or take another route.

These seem like they should be easy enough to avoid as long as we see them coming in advance, but what about the little pebble in the road? There are no warnings about those. How many windshields were cracked because you did not see that small rock flying in your direction? Windshields are not cheap. Think of what you could have done with the money replacing all the cracked windshields cost you over the years.

Too bad no signs are saying, “A pebble will be thrown from the car in front of you if you remain in the left lane.” Unfortunately, most people would probably still stay in the left lane.  

While we cannot avoid all of the flying debris that can cause damage, we can do a few things to prepare for the possible outcome. Do not drive behind dump trucks. Leave a big enough space between our car and the vehicle in front of us. These do not guarantee that pebbles won’t be a problem, but they can minimize the danger. Not being in a position to be hit is the key to not being struck.

This principle applies outside of driving, too. We can see the big warning signs tell us of approaching danger. If the fire alarm sounds, we should be wise enough to leave the building and call for help. It is the small things that pop up suddenly that cause us unexpected problems. Someone may say something, and we hold a grudge as a result. This kind of situation may not be financially troubling, but it can damage a friendship.    

We can have unforeseen small issues arise that cost us money. The battery on your car may die. That needs replacing. The problem is you do not have the money to replace it. Sometimes the lack of money is because we do not make enough, but many times it is because we do not live within our means.

We cannot prevent the little pebbles in life (E.g., what others say or dead batteries), but we can prepare for them. We can live by the fruit of the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. Living like this prepares you to overcome an offense that shows up. It is not always easy to live this way, but it will make you a stronger person. We can also learn to be good stewards of budgeting or saving for unexpected financial problems.

These are just two examples, but we should prepare because the unexpected always seems to occur.