Crossing Dark Intersections

When I played football for Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington, one of my teammates invited me home to spend a weekend with his family and have some home cooking. As a misplaced and lonely California kid I accepted this invitation with great joy.  After our last class on Friday night, we hopped in his car and began the long drive across the eastern Washington farmlands toward his very small hometown out in the middle of nowhere.

We were driving late at night. Off in the distance of this “middle of nowhere” place was a desolate intersection monitored only by stop signs for all four of the converging roadways.  The moment I saw the reflection of the stop sign off in the dark distance my teammate said, “Turn off your lights to see if any other cars are coming and if you don’t see any lights don’t slow down – just blow the stop!” Without thinking I did what my friend suggested and blew through the intersection doing 65 mph with no headlights on and thought nothing of it.  Now, years later with a fully developed brain, I realize the foolishness we displayed that night.

That intersection reminds me of what the future for some in the Church will look like without the illuminating authority of scripture to help them navigate the dark cultural intersections we are now approaching. Psalm 119:105, tells us how to wisely navigate these dark intersections with the words, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”

As you approach these cultural crossings make sure you navigate them safely illuminated by the light of God’s truth. Do this because there may be other people approaching the same intersection having turned off the light of truth believing the potentially fatal lie that tells them these treacherous crossings can be made in total darkness.  I shudder to think what might have happened that night had another equally foolish driver attempted to make the same crossing assuming no light was needed to make it to the other side.