In the Dark (08/30/2025)

My friend asked me to drive her to the airport yesterday morning. Her flight was very early, 6:30 a.m. So, we agreed that I would come to get her at 4:30 a.m. As she settled in the front seat, I admitted that I hadn’t been to that airport in over 20 years. For safe measure, I put it in my navigation system for directions along the way. And we were off.

The good news is that there isn’t much traffic at 4:30 a.m. The bad news is that we were the only ones on the highway that weren’t in a hurry. How I wish people would leave home earlier so they didn’t have to speed. But I digress. We were doing well for about six miles when the signs started appearing and the orange barrels started inching into the left lane. Clearly, there was construction ahead and we were being moved to the far right lane. I told myself silently, “It’s okay.” And it was, until it wasn’t.

Suddenly, the construction equipment started appearing, the barrels were in the middle of the right lane which meant we were driving on or very near the grooved highway edge that will jar your teeth right out of your gums. It took me a mile or so to find the right position, in the dark, without hitting a cone or driving on the grooved pavement. We finally made it through that obstacle course, and I was feeling pretty good for four miles, but then the gps was giving me directions I didn’t agree with. I decided to go with my memory, Sadie my gps would just have to “recalculate.” And it turned out, I was right. She recalculated, and we were fine.

When we finally got to the airport area, I was hit with “sign overload.” There were signs overhead, signs to my right, signs to my left. I finally found the one I was looking for – terminal – and took the designated lane to my friend’s airline reception area. We parked, she got out, we hugged and I wished her a wonderful weekend with family. And she went into the terminal, and I changed routes to “home” on my gps.

As I was navigating my way out of the airport area to more familiar surroundings, I was free to talk to myself out loud without spooking any passengers. And believe me, I had a lot to say. I admitted that I was out of practice driving in the dark in areas with which I was unfamiliar. It had been 10 years since I had had to do that with great frequency. I admitted that I had never liked it because of my fear of deer and because of my uncertainty of what lay beyond my headlights. I thanked the LORD for being with me and for the invention of gps navigating systems on the dash that talked me through it (even though I sometimes ignore what it has to say).

And then I thought about darkness and dark times and situations and how they are like this experience, not being able to see what lies ahead clearly, uncertainty, and even a bit of fear. I don’t know about any of you, but I hate the way I feel when I’m experiencing times and situations like that, but they do occur in all our lives. And I found myself speaking out loud to my LORD, thanking Him for His presence and guidance. And asking Him with all my being to “be with me, LORD.”

As we continue our journeys in this life and seek to stay on the path and make it to our destination, life with our LORD in abundance, let us trust in the LORD’s power and presence at work in us and around us. Let us remain open to our LORD’s guidance. And let us make the journey with others, helping them and allowing them to help us. Life really is a journey, you know, and we don’t always know the terrain, and surprises pop up along the way. So, let us commit to following the rules of the Journey our Savior gave us and open ourselves to the Spirit He told us would guide us.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.