Well, OK then. Maybe a few more than 25. But it wasnt that much. Seriously. However, I live in the countryside and my way to work involves a few reasonably steep hills. The gritters had not been out overnight so the roads were covered and it only takes one person to get a little nervous on a hill......
I turned back half a mile from the first hill as the traffic was backing up at an alarming rate and went another way. Only to find that on that road the tailback was miles and miles long due to an accident. I did about half a mile in 45 minutes. But decided to stick with it and try to get into town and not let down my nursery class or my boss. Once past the accident we made steady progress, but the radio traffic report was telling me that the A1 was suffering an eight mile traffic jam! Goodness knows what would have happened if we had had any really serious weather. Everyone would have stayed in bed I suppose.Sitting in the car in a snowy line of unmoving cars I got to thinking about the fact that it only takes one very small mishap at the front of the queue to cause havoc for miles behind. And that the person at the front most probably has no idea of the chaos in their wake. The person in the front might be me. Spiritually speaking that is :)
Our job as Christians is to lead people to Jesus. His presence in us makes us attractive to others and what we believe makes us stand out of the crowd. People watch and listen. They follow behind us - sometimes nipping at our heels and overtaking us on the road - others keeping their distance or lagging at the back, but nonetheless heading in the right direction. Our job is to keep on keeping on. To stay on the road listening for the still small voice which says ' This is the way walk in it'. If we stop and rest. if we lose control and come off the road, if our vehicle is faulty and we breakdown, then pretty soon we cause a roadblock to those who come behind us. This is a tough word to hear.....
none of us like to think that what we do can have negative repercussions on others. We dont want to consider the possibility that our sins, weaknesses, failures can cause brothers and sisters to fall and fail too. But you only need to look at some of the leaders who have fallen from grace through sexual or financial sin to see that it is true. When a leader falls the devastation is enormous. But as Christians we are all leaders to some extent. Even if we dont feel as though we are or see many following.
Today my very long journey to work was caused by bad weather. Its bad enough when there's and accident or a breakdown in fine weather. But when its stormy or snowing things are ten times worse. In the winter its even more important to keep our vehicles in good order and to take particular care on the road. If you are going through a storm or a cold spell in your life just now then you need to keep a special watch on your relationships, attitudes , thinking and heart. You might be especially susceptible to doubt, temptation and sin. You might be tempted to pull in to the side of the road ( or stop in the middle of it) and wait for the storm to pass. Don't. Keep going. Ask for help, be accountable, pray for strength but don't give up. Remember that there are people watching you - your kids, your friends, people in your church, work colleagues, casual acquaintances and complete strangers. They are watching to see how you handle the storm, they are counting on your to find a way ahead so they can follow in your footsteps.
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