Christmas hangovers

Christmas is full of bad decisions.

Maybe you forgot to buy a present for one of your relatives.  Maybe you asked someone you have not seen in a little while if they were pregnant only to find out that you just have not seen them for a little while.  Although this idea sounds totally preposterous because every husband knows that this is a really bad idea, maybe you bought your wife exercise equipment.  (Honestly, my wife did ask for it.)

My biggest mistake was driving to my mom’s house.  We wanted to go see my mom, and once we got there we had a very nice time.  The mistake was the timing of our drive, not the concept.

I diligently neglected the weather report.  I had some sense that there was a snow storm coming, but it was supposed to come late in the night on Christmas Eve.  The original plan was to get up Christmas morning and drive to mom’s.  With the rumors of snow, however, I tried to out think the storm.  I decided that we would leave Christmas Eve night.

When we left our home there was no snow.  The plan was working.  Halfway into the trip it started snowing.  No problem because it takes some time for snow to actually accumulate and we should be there before it gets really bad.  Ten minutes later I could no longer see the road.  The second half of the trip took twice as long as usual.

The drive was dangerous.  There were slippery roads, snow removal trucks to avoid, and impatient drivers who despite the icy conditions hugged my bumper.  For the first time in my life I was thankful for the sound ridges on the side of the road.  There were several time I had no idea where the road stopped and the ditch started.

My kids never once sensed the danger that my wife and I both felt.  They just kept playing video games, listening to music, and watching movies.  They were completely clueless as to the effort I was having to put into driving in order to try to keep us safe.  At one point, one of my sons actually complained.

“How fast are you going, Dad?”

“Fast enough.”

“I just saw a speed limit sign that said 55.  You should speed up.”

As I corrected a fish tail after sliding in snow and slush, “I’ll keep that in mind.  For now we are going fast enough.”

It made me wonder how often God is keeping us out of danger and we have absolutely no clue about it.  We are headed on our merry way about to plunge into a snowy ditch but God protects us.

Maybe we even start complaining about how things are not going the way we want them to.    Where is my new car?  Where is my good job with excellent benefits and stock options?  Why did I not get into the school I wanted?  Why can’t I get pregnant?  How come I am not married?

Maybe it looks like God does not care or is driving the car way too slow, but maybe He is really protecting us.