Vroom! Zoom! I was having a blast. I was young, had just ditched my junior driver’s license, and I was free! I was finally free to hang out with my friends to all hours of the night. Looking back, of course, I think I was CRAZY to forgo all of those beautiful hours of sleep, but at almost 18, staying up all night was a badge I wore with pride. And this night was one of those that went into my “All Night Adventurer” badge.
I was at the end of my senior year of high school, and my friends and I were driving around Lancaster County. I honestly don’t remember where we were coming from or where we were going, but I DO remember I was tired. In reality, probably too tired to be driving, however, I was too young to realize this at the time. I figured that as long as I could force my eyelids to stay open, I was good. I mean, if they’re open I can see, and therefore, I can drive. Before continuing with this story, I should also perhaps mention that my friends were from Lancaster County, I was not. Therefore, these roads were unfamiliar to me.
“Turn onto Route 30!” my friend called.
“Okay.” I saw a sign for Route 30 and promptly drove onto the road. No problem, I’d done highway driving before. The problem was…that there was a very serious problem. It took my bleary mind a few minutes to figure out exactly what the problem was.
Headlights flashed. Horns honked. Cars were coming in my direction. Then the revelation hit me like a tractor trailer. I WAS DRIVING THE WRONG WAY ON A ONE-WAY ROAD!! My hands got clammy, heart pounded, and I was no longer sleepy. Shaking, I pulled my car over to the side of the road and did a quick U-turn.
Whew! Disaster…and death…avoided. Fortunately, this incident happened around 3:00 in the morning, so there were very few cars on the road. I hate to think of what could have happened to me and my friends if I had made this mistake at a busier time of the day. I still thank God for His protection over us, despite the fact that I had made unwise choices that resulted in us going in the wrong direction.
How many times do we do this in life? How many times do we make unwise (not even necessarily wrong, but unwise) choices only to later find ourselves headed in the wrong direction? Or perhaps wind up in a position you never thought you would ever be in?
That memorable night, I didn’t realize I was going the wrong way because I read road signs. It was seeing cars going in the right direction that made me realize I was headed in the wrong direction. In the same way, it is God’s goodness and kindness, His tangible acts of love that He pours out on us, that SHOW us the RIGHT way to go. And when we see an example of the right way, we realize our cars are facing the wrong way. Then, through His power, we can do a U-turn. This is repentance.
Thank God for His love and protection; this love that reaches out in kindness and shows us a better way. It is only when we see and experience the goodness and kindness of God that we realize we’re going the wrong way! Romans 2:4 says, “the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance” (KJV).
Now, what if I had just turned my car around and stayed on the side of the road? Sure, I was facing the right way, but would I have made it to my destination? Would I have made it home? Would I have gone anywhere? No way. What’s the point of doing a U-turn if I was just going to park on the side of the road forever?
Simply doing a U-turn doesn’t get you where you need to go. But doing a U-turn and then hitting the gas does. We need to LIVE in repentance; a continual turning and MOVING AWAY from sin and turning our faces and MOVING TOWARD God. We need to fix our eyes on Him and constantly hit that gas pedal in His direction. That’s how we LIVE in God. We don’t simply stop going the wrong way; we put the pedal to the metal in the RIGHT way. So, let’s turn our cars around and…GO!