I’m a big truck driver. No. Not a commercial 18 wheeler. I only have 4 tires touching the road at any given time, but my truck is a 1-Ton, 4 door, 8 foot bed, Dodge Ram Diesel with over 314,000 miles.
Needless to say I have to plan my entrance into most parking spaces!
Sometimes it takes a lot of maneuvering to get parked. Sometimes it’s easy peasy! Sometimes I’ll park in the Back 40 and hoof it to my destination. It all depends on the situation. When in some shopping venues I have to drive for blocks looking for the right space to park in… Not every open slot is my friend!
The same is true for every turn on the street. Before you know it there’s a Dead End sign showing up just a little too late. I remember taking mom and dad’s motorhome down a lonely looking, albeit interesting gravel road. Slowly it got narrower and eventually I passed the last “pull out” where I could do a 40 turn turnaround and get myself out of trouble. But nooooo…. I had to see where the road went! Before you knew it the swamp in front said I had gone too far! Now. Ever try backing a 30-foot motorhome for a mile or more? Stiff neck was the result of this poor decision!
Regardless. I’m always considering my next turn and the obstacles I may face. Operative word is “may”.
Site hinderances make planning difficult.
Remember, if you’re old enough, those barrel looking glasses that could peak around a corner or over a berm? A friend owned a pair and we all wanted to be on his side when playing “war” with our Tommy Guns. In our young minds we had fewer surprises if we could see around the bend. This is still a true analogy today.
With correct tools and proper care you can get a look at what’s around the corner and have a few moments to prepare for what’s just ahead.
Sometimes it helps to have Spidey Senses to warn of impending danger, but we are not all super heroes!
I’m thinking ahead all the time, on the lookout for difficult and good times, ready to respond at a moments notice.
For an analogy, think about poor old Jonah. He agreed to God’s plan to preach repentance to Nineveh, but then secretly ran as far and as fast as he could the other way. When a storm started tossing his ship, and he owned up to his part in the misery all the other sailors and passengers were having to endure, tossed overboard he finally ended up in the belly of an great fish (some translations say it was a whale) (Jonah 1:1-17). It took him 3 days to get things right with God and get back on the right road, headed the right direction!
How about you? Can you start training yourself to think and prepare for Life Around the Corner? Think things through before you face a choice you may have a difficult time backing out of….