“These speed bumps are huge,” I muttered as I drove through the supermarket parking lot. I don’t like to drive fast through parking lots, and this one became a challenge. I normally just idle through, which is what I was doing here until I hit the speed bump — and came to a complete stop. So-o-o, I gave it a little gas and it went up the speed bump a bit then rolled back. Several brief up and back rolls occurred before I finally hit the gas to get over the speed bump.

My spiritual life has occasionally been like that, especially when I just want to cruise through life. This is total speculation on my part, but I think God often puts speed bumps in my life. Often, I get out ahead of God. I look down the highway of life and it looks straight and level. I can see for miles, so I accelerate ever so slightly. The longer the road is smooth, the faster I find myself going.

Like a blaring radio, the noise of life’s hustle and bustle drown out the still small voice of God (1 Kings 19:12) and I hit the speed bump at full throttle. Some of you may know what it’s like to hit an unexpected speed bump. To quote that great ‘60s rock and roll singer Jerry Lee Lewis, “You shake my nerves, and you rattle my brain.” (“Great Balls of Fire,” 1961)

God, in His goodness, will put that speed bump in front of me before I build up too much velocity, but there’s a spiritual cause and effect ratio that says the longer I ignore Him, the greater the speed bump. They come in many forms: loss of a job, broken marriage, personal failure — I could go on, but you get the picture. These things will come on our road to heaven regardless, but when we are getting out ahead of God, it will shake us to the core of our being.

Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23, ESV) I emphasize the word “daily” here because that’s the focus we need to have. Just like we report to the boss for the day’s assignment, so too we need to “report” daily to our Heavenly Father who will prepare us for the day ahead.

But only for that day. In Jesus’s time, the person who picked up the cross was on a one-way journey from which he would not return. Similarly, today’s Christian is on a one-way journey. This familiar song expresses the attitude we must have:

“I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back.
The cross before me, the world behind me, No turning back; no turning back.” (Unknown author)

For the Christian who daily checks in with his Heavenly Father, the cross before him and the world behind him, life’s speed bumps will become just that: a mere bump in the road!

What say ye, Man of Valor?
Semper Fidelis!