Headlights

Winter driving is different than summer driving not just because of snow, ice and the extra time it takes to cover distance but because of darkness.

Our automotive stock today has a built-in solution.  We turn a knob or flip a switch and ‘let there be light’.  We can now see where we’re going and others can see us as well.

For headlights, we thank you, God.

Since I have only 4 miles between job and home, I am not always cloaked in blackness when commuting.  Frequently, I drive in a condition known as twilight.  Even so, there is still a need for the light provided by headlights as nothing is perfectly clear.

But here’s what I haven’t noticed before.  A LOT of drivers embrace the darkness.  The tool-of-light remains untouched.  They prefer the surprise of an obscure path to one of enlightenment. Their dashboards remain invisible to their eyes while their vehicles remain invisible to others.



I am learning to look for these cloaked behemoths before entering intersections.  This has proven to be a wise decision more than once.  I can’t help but SMH.  (This is a texting anagram meaning that I am ‘shaking my head’ but truthfully, on many occasions, that’s not all I do.)

I expect that I’m a bit spoiled because if my car is running, the lights are on.  If I want taillights, I need to turn them on. If I want full-blown headlights, I need to make that correction as well.  I wondered why they made a car like this, but now I know.  It takes the human decision out of the process in the name of legality but more importantly, of safety. 

So here’s why I’m telling you about this.  I don’t want to be one of those drivers who favor darkness.  I want to be confident that I’m on the right road and that I’m not waylaid by unforeseen trouble. I intend to let others see the 4,000-pound metal cage that’s hurtling at them at 60 miles per hour.  Whether the low lights come on automatically or not, I will make a conscious decision to light my way in the most appropriate manner possible.

Now I think I’ve been given some pretty good tools for navigating life by parents, teachers, and friends. I was raised well and given good advice that ‘sometimes’ kicks in automatically. However, as I journey through life, automatic is not foolproof. Decisions are yet required. Knobs need turning and switches need flipping to find the most appropriate light for each situation.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.  John 1:5

This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you; God is light, in Him there is no darkness at all.  If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another 1 John 1: 5-7

I need to choose patience and kindness while I interact with others.
I need to choose to sacrifice my needs for the needs of others.
I need to choose to perform my job well.
I need to choose love.
I need to choose light over darkness.

And it’s my responsibility to let others see that light as well.