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| Photo credit Robert Adams |
Well, on Monday I didn't take the train home like I usually do. My dad went out of town after his work day, so he needed me to drive his truck home from his office. I was excited to do so, because trains are smelly and sometimes I have to sit next to people who make me uncomfortable. But that's a topic for another day.
I was very happy to find the car on an upper level, backed into a corner spot. The truck is huge and the parking garage is very narrow, so this made me happy. I safely navigated out of there and through the tiny little exit without incident, and then I successfully got onto the freeway ahead of the worst of the day's traffic.
When I was in line for the on-ramp, it started raining. It took me a minute to figure out the fancy truck's windshield wipers, but I'm glad that I had that moment to fiddle with it, because by the time I was on the freeway, the storm had hit us.
You had to be there to understand just how crazy this storm was. Imagine everything going dark, and your front windshield getting blasted by a fire hose. That's seriously how it was. One minute I'm cruising along with my windshield wipers going half-speed, the next they're going full-throttle and there's still too much water for me to see anything.
There was so much water on my windshield and on the ground that I couldn't even make out the lines dividing the freeway. Even when the sky ahead of us cleared, the water reflected the sky and effectively blended with the color of the lines. The best I could do was follow the grooves that indicated where different lanes of asphalt had been poured, and just carefully watch the car ahead of me. I never dared look any further ahead than about fifteen feet.
If it weren't for the moving truck ahead of me, I would have definitely veered into other lanes, and I'm sure the other driver was thinking the same about whoever was leading him. I stared at the back of that truck so steadily that I memorized the number of the company painted on the back. I was tempted to call the number and thank that guy for leading me along, even if he was doing it completely unawares.
Oh, and did I mention the lightning? Yeah, it was too dark to see much, but every minute or so there'd be this blaze of purple light like a very close-up camera flash. I'm pretty sure the light poles along the freeway were getting struck, but the rain was too loud for me to even hear the thunder and accurately guess how close it was.
The most disconcerting part about my drive, though, was when I would pass under an overpass, and there'd be this sudden silence as the rain was blocked. Then BOOM! I'd be out in the open again, and I'd get blasted by water and have to squint past it again and be slightly startled by the returning sound of rain pounding on the roof. It was terrifying.
Everyone on the road was as freaked out by it as I was. Everything slowed to a crawl. A glance at my speedometer showed that we were only going 30 miles per hour in a 65mph zone. Everyone gave each other plenty of space as we all made our way bravely home. There were a few cars pulled over--probably people waiting out the storm--but surprisingly, no accidents the whole way. Aside from the fact that we were moving at half-speed, it was one of the steadiest commutes I've ever experienced on I-15.
After about twenty minutes of this, I was confident enough that I was going to make it out alive that I relaxed a little. The muscles in my back screamed when I sat back. I hadn't realized how straight I was sitting in my seat. My fingers were stiff, too. I'd been gripping the steering wheel as hard as I could, terrified of losing control of the vehicle.
And it was only then that I realized that this whole drive, I'd been singing along to the radio at the top of my lungs! Singing! With lightning coming down all around me and water blocking my sight and other panicked drivers in my vicinity, I was still just calm enough to do what I love to do best--sing out loud to my favorite songs.
In fact, singing despite the danger is probably why I made it out of there okay. It was a self-soothing gesture
So here's what I came away with after this experience.
1. Try to avoid being on the freeway during a blinding rain storm.
2. If you do have to be out in a blinding rain storm, make sure...
a. that you're in a lightning-proof car
b. that your lights are on so other drivers can see you
c. that you don't panic and swerve when lightning and overpasses startle you
d. that you follow what little you can make out despite the blinding factors
e. and that you sing all the way.
That's right, I'm gonna get all metaphorical on you.
Rainstorm = Adversity
"...The devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yeah, his shafts in the whirlwind, [and] all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you..." (Helaman 5:12).
Let's pretend for a moment that this rainstorm represented the horrible things that happen in our lives. Maybe it's losing your job or losing a loved one. Maybe it's a difficult temptation or an overwhelming addiction. Maybe it's poor health or a self-inflicted issue. Whatever the case, we rarely see life's challenges coming. If we do, we tend to do our best to avoid them. But if we don't, or they just can't be avoided, there are certain steps we can take to make sure that we survive the experience.
Truck = Faith
"Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked" (Ephesians 6:16).
When that lightning was coming down so close, my only reassurance was my knowledge that cars are rarely ever struck by lightning. That car was my shield. As scary as it was, I knew that I was pretty darn safe in the cab of the truck, with A/C and a radio and windshield wipers and a comfy seat. Had I had had to be outside completely unprotected in that storm, I would have had a much more terrifying and potentially lethal experience.
Faith is very much the same. If we are inside the protective bubble of faith when the trials of life hit us hard, that shield will keep us safe, and we will have peace in our hearts, having faith that things will work out in the end.
Head- and Taillights = Guiding Influence
"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house" (Matthew 5:14-15).
One of my favorite things about the Humans of New York project is that we get to see how everyone goes through trials--some of them so severe that we can't even imagine how someone could survive it. And yet, the majority of these people interviewed have made it through their struggles, and now by sharing what they learned on Facebook, they are showing others that it's possible to do the same!
A similar thing happened to me on the road. The head- and taillights of the cars around me were pretty much the only concrete thing I could see during that rainy drive. If we all had our lights off and made it every man for himself, there would have been dozens of pileups on the freeway. Instead, we played "follow the leader" to find our way out.
When we have a light to follow, we need to pass it on by being a light for others. Call it the Light of Christ or a shining countenance or whatever you will, we need to set an example of perseverance and hopeful progression to those around us who are struggling.
Don't Panic!
"Let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; For the Lord your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you" (Deuteronomy 20: 3-4).
You know how in books and movies, people attribute adrenaline to these awesome feats of strength and clarity? I don't know if that's just Hollywood or if I'm defective, but I tend to do stupider things when I get startled--like drop the can of biscuits that popped or veer a little bit when someone honks at me.
Thankfully, I had enough peace of mind to not swerve around like a drunken snake when the lightning flashed all over the place, but do I have enough peace of mind not to freak out about the trials that come my way? Mmm.... not so much. I get angry or defensive and snap at people. I cry and think that all is lost. I
But then I get reminders at Church or during scripture study that there's no need to panic and act rashly. That scripture above is only one of probably hundreds of the Lord promising to be on our right hand and on our left, and to guide us every step of the way. As long as we trust in Him and not rely so much on our own abilities, we can handle life smoothly and calmly, and everything will be okay.
Build Upon a Sure Foundation
"You don't know everything, but you know enough!" (Elder Neil L. Andersen, October 2008 General Conference)
I had virtually no idea where the lane lines were when I was driving through that storm. But I did know enough to still find my way. I knew from many other drives the relative width of the lane. I knew how close the cars on either side of me were. I knew that the truck in front of me was following something. And I could see the little grooves in the road that indicated the lines were down there somewhere.
In fact, there was this one point where the truck in front of me suddenly went to the left. I couldn't see the lines, but I had been following him for so long that I instinctively went left, too. Only after I did so did I see the grooves that marked a sudden shift in the lane path. Had I kept going perfectly straight, I would have crammed the car next to me or possibly forced him onto the shoulder.
The point is that just because I couldn't see clear lines, that didn't mean that I was powerless to move forward. I had enough information to make it home safely.
Similarly, there are so many times in life when we're not sure where to go or what to do. We may even begin to doubt past decisions, like our major or our job choice or even our religion. If we focus on those doubts, though, we will come to a standstill. Had I decided that I couldn't drive on the freeway without clear lines, I would have just pulled over and stayed stagnant. Instead, we can focus on what we do know, and continue to move forward confidently and figure it out as we go along.
Sing!
"And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yeah, I will sing praises unto the Lord" (Psalm 27:6).
Okay, I've read the whole Bible before, but I've never noticed that verse before! That's beautiful!
And life is beautiful! The greatest lesson I came away with after that rainy drive was that even when life gets bleak and scary, there is always something to sing about. And after the trial, we have all the more reason to praise God and find happiness in our life. After all, thunderclouds make beautiful sunsets.
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