When you drive down the highway, inevitably you’ll pass a car on the side of the road that is near to or in the ditch. Someone’s wiping sweat from their brow as they work to replace a flat tire. A person is shivering in the cold while staring at their vehicle which has slid off the shoulder, halfway in the ditch. Another car lies in a ditch with the back end crumpled up and a shaken driver in tears.
For every mile of highway, there’s two miles of ditches. If you think about life in that way, there are plenty of opportunities to fall by the wayside and get stuck in the ditches. It takes a lot of focus and concentration to keep yourself driving forward and to not let life drive you crazy.
Maybe today is one of those days you feel like you’re in a ditch. You’re driving with two wheels off the pavement and nothing seems balanced. Your daughter’s upset with you. You burned the special dinner you were making for your wife. Your neighbor’s complaining about your dog barking. Your parents are wondering why they never see you. You hear the rumble strips as you drift toward the ditch. Everything is off kilter and you question whether all four tires will ever kiss the pavement at the same time again.
Maybe you’re in the ditch because your car has stalled. There’s a lot to do in your life, but you can’t seem to get started. The battery is dead and the cables won’t spark a charge. You’re overwhelmed and flooded with all the things you need to do to the point where you can’t do anything.
It’s easy to get tired and fall asleep at the wheel. We all do it. Just look at the skid marks on the road and you can see that other people have been there too. That’s why, for the long haul of life, it’s nice to have help. It’s nice to have a few other drivers who can take the wheel or steer you in the right direction when you get off course and end up in a ditch.
There will always be patches of rough road in life. Sometimes the fix is quick and easy, and other times, the construction seems never-ending, and you’ll get tired of the backups and long waits. But when life’s highway spins you into a ditch, remember to get yourself up, get yourself back on the road, and look for other stragglers that you can help along the way.