Today I was thinkin about the little things we use to do as kids that were a little crazy. We would walk across pipelines that were 30 feet above a rocky creek bed. We would ride our bikes off a small hill hoping to land just right. There were those things that brought about a lot of pain once we missed. Those times were learning experiences. Seems like there always that instant before we ran and grabbed the vine that in our mind something yelled "STOP"! We ignored it of course and ended up on our back or our face one. After the dust would settle I would remember that moment and wonder why I didn't listen. Over the years I have slowed down on the attempt to become a human Crash Test Dummy. I still have heard that voice in my head at times. I hear it right before saying something I shouldn't have and I know instantly that I should have listened. I call these signs from God.
He loves us and wants to protect us from ourselves at times. I know some of you are a little skeptical and that's ok. He has other ways to get your attention. There are those of us that are a little hard headed and God needs to use not so subtle signs. He will put someone in front of you that you need to help or someone that's there to help you with a situation. I once was traveling down the highway in my old truck and at about 70 miles per hour the left rear wheel came off the truck. I was riding alone and the radio wasn't working at the time. My instinct was to slam on the brake. As soon as the wheel came off I heard in a normal voice "Do not touch the brake". I finally listened and rode on the hub of the axle about a mile before coming to a stop on the side of the road. I thought about the situation and realized that as I was fishtailing down the road if I had pushed the brake the truck would have turned sideways and I would have rolled in front of the Car Carrier that was behind me and all the traffic. I knew it was the voice of either a Guardian Angel or God himself.
A friend of mine has been bombarded with things that point to a certain place that is dear to her heart. She is praying for God's guidance in the matter. It can be about any situation that he points the way. God nudged me several times to join a place called Facebook. I was not too impressed with a chat community and avoided it. He kept sending me nudges until I took a look at it. Now I have renewed friendships with hundreds of old friends. God doesn't force us to do things, he puts gives us a nudge and we decide if we want to listen or not. That's when you are running as fast as you can and grab that vine to swing out over the creek, you might wanna take a second to think "Did I hear God yelling STOP?" before committing to the jump. As they say "Hindsight is 20/20". Of course as a kid I thought that meant someone had good vision out of their hind end. I know, I know I should have listened before I wrote that last sentence, but I bet some of you folks thought the same thing.
My brother and I went snow skiing once. He had never been before and this was my second or third time. I wanted to show my little brother how good his bro was. I got to the top of the hill and pointed both skis towards the bottom of the hill. I pushed off and looked like one of those Olympic Ski Jumpers. I got to what seemed 80 miles per hour and forgot to use my skis to slowdown. My right ski hit a mogul(small bump) and I ended up launching in the air. My head went into the fresh powder and stayed as my body continued to flip over. I lay there not wanting to move cause I just knew I broke every bone in my body. A couple of guys from the Ski Patrol stopped with a basket to lay me in but I was determined to walk. That was a bad choice by the way. I got to the bottom of the hill and sat on a bail of hay. Looked up and saw my little brother taking off his skis on top of the hill. When he got down to me I asked why didn't he ski down. He said "God has always told me to watch you and do the opposite." I was a sign from God for my brother, a sore sign though. We need to try and listen to God a little more so he won't have to keep writing on billboards. Until next time keep your ears and heart open so you can see the signs God is giving you.
Stan the Ramblin Man
