“See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily…so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” Hebrews 3:12-13

Driving down the road in 4 lane traffic, I saw some road debris ahead. Mental note… ‘avoid.’ Traffic was heavy and apparently everyone ahead of me had thought the same thing, as they weaved around the trash. Then.. the trash MOVED! Zig… zag… weave…! My mind was trying to process what I was seeing, but at 50mph, I was on it soon enough! It was a rat in the middle of the road! He had lived, up till now, by the grace of the drivers. But something told me he was not long for this world!

We all know about rats. They live in the underbrush and dark areas of the world. They are sneaky and rarely seen. When they are, most folks shudder at their sight. To be in the open, on a major road, on a hot sunny day in rush hour traffic was rare. STUPID! Even for a rat! I made a mental note to write about it and, with God’s help, to find a Bible verse that would maybe put some meaning to this illustration.

I am a ‘road rat!’ That term means someone who takes shortcuts through parking lots, back roads or side streets in order to avoid being stuck in traffic or at a long red light. It drives my wife NUTS! I am not, nor ever have been, a sitter. I’d rather lose a little time but be moving ,than sit still. I know, I know… and THAT is the problem!

God wants me to MOSTLY BE STILL! Looking for shortcuts on life’s road is usually dangerous. Back allies and dark side trails can hide a lot of bad stuff. Sin LOVES to lurk there. And there are times, I must admit… so do I. Discouragement at life’s pace, lack of progress or the failure to see my, or other peoples progress, may find me settling for the darkness. Which is completely out of character for God’s chosen. Do you follow me?

I can tell when I have been lingering in the land of the dark heart. God is SO gracious and kind to me, even then. His Grace ALWAYS gently calls me to come home. It’s not a yell or a threat. It is just a simple quiet call that comes from becoming hardened by hiding out in places my spirit life feels uncomfortable. And it doesn’t even have to be a BAD place! Often it is sunny and open! But DANGEROUS!

Discouragement is an evil from the pit of hell. We ALL land on its back road from time to time. Sometimes we can’t see our own way out. It is those times that a friend or fellow believer can encourage us to come out, with a softened caring heart, and enjoy the ride God intended.

Since you are NOT one… don’t be a road rat!