A friend told me about the fun involved in a road trip. Just ride a bus -- any bus, without knowing where to go -- and just enjoy the ride. So one
dark evening, I did just that. I turned off my cell phone, filled my car with gas and drove north -- alone.
I’d like to share this week lessons that I learned from this particular road trip. Join the ride.
Lesson # 1: In this life, you need road signsIf you haven’t been to North Luzon Expressway these days, let me say that you’ll enjoy traveling with it’s wider, smoother and well-lit road. Or at least half of the way.
The first half of NLE is safe and enjoyable. You feel secured. I can see the road clearly. Vehicles are predictable. Everyone seems happy. I was enjoying the ride. Until...
Just before Sta. Rita exit, around 60 kms north of Manila, lights disappeared and roads tighten -- from 4 lanes to 2 lanes. I suddenly felt afraid. Darkness everywhere. I felt security was suddenly stripped away from me.
What kept me company though are the road signs. Even it’s dark and I was alone, the road signs tell me where I am and where I’m going. It tells me that I can have help if I needed one. There is a sign that tells me that there is a gasoline station ahead where I can take a stop and pee (oh, yeah!), there’s a sign that tells me I’m near San Simon exit where I plan to make a U-turn. Road signs kept me company in the dark.
I can summarize life into two phrases--
smooth sailing and
darkness stricken. There are times when everything seems right -- relationships are flourishing, finances are stable, health is a-ok. But there are times when disappointments, heart breaks and frustrations abound. In times like these, we need road signs. Signs that will direct us in life. Signs that will tell us that we're still on the right path. Signs that will assure us that we still have company.
What are these road signs? From experience, I can list some practical suggestions.
Friendship, one this is real, is a road sign. A friend that loves you enough that he would rather loose you by telling the truth about your situation than see you go through the dangers of life. A friend that, as the Bible says "sticks closer than a brother".
Your past experience is another. It's ok to fail. In fact, it's good to fail (if you're not failing, you're not trying new things). But to fail twice of the same thing is another. Learn from experience. Make it a notch higher -- learn from somebody else's experience. You don't want to commit somebody else's mistake, do you?
I'm thinking of the Bible right now as the best way to provide road signs in life. Some of us may follow world views of our choosing. But as far as I'm concerned, the Bible is not only for theological debates or for converting people to someone's religion. It is for everyone who needs directions in life. It is filled with principles that we can use in our daily struggles.
When darkness in life abound, look for road signs.
