Checkpoint

The dark of night, and a thousand red and blue lights ahead.  To the best of my recollection, my mom begrudgingly pulled her license and registration from her purse, and slowly proceeded further.  Never having been behind a wheel or through a checkpoint, my heart began to pound for her.  What was going on ahead?  It looked horrible.  Were our seat belts on?  Would they make us get out of the car? 

My mom rolled down her window, presented her information to the officer and he said to her, “thank you, don’t drink and drive.”  She pulled forward and explained to my adolescent self that they were looking for drunk drivers. It was a mandatory checkpoint.

Shew! That was a scary experience for a preteen.  On the other hand, I was glad they were there.  First of all, they could have caught someone breaking the law and justice would have been served.  Secondly, that was a scary part of town to drive through at night with just the two of us. It was nice to know that we were surrounded by those who could protect us if needed.  Thirdly, I realized that the checkpoint could have saved a life.    After that experience, I was grateful.  Once we drove through, it was not as scary as it had seemed before I knew what we were getting into.

All day, the word, “checkpoint” has been on my mind.  It is the weirdest thing.  I told Travis, I felt like I was supposed to write about it, yet had no idea what I was going to say. I even looked up it’s meaning in the dictionary to see if it gave me any clarity. God speaks to me in weird ways sometimes, so I knew if it was important, it would come to me when i needed it to. 

Lying in bed tonight, I had a random thought, and out of nowhere I know what it all means, and why I am to write.  It is where I am.  It is where many of you are tonight. 

At the checkpoint.

Where we are is a dark and scary place.  We are at a complete stop in life, and have no control of anything whatsoever.  What we see ahead seems like danger and chaos.  It is unknown to us, and we speculate. We feel anxiety rise up our bodies to our heads, and our brains take over, imagining the worst-case scenario, the worst possible outcome.

It is here that we have to do a few things…

1. We have to wait.  Ugh…I hate waiting!!!  My mom hates it, and her dad hated it too.  Patience does not run in this family.  It was left out of my DNA.  I want to know what lies ahead.  I want security.  I want to be safe.  I need control, and I do not want to be at the mercy of someone else. Get me out of the passenger seat and behind the wheel!!!

But this step is vital to getting through the mandatory checkpoint.  We are where we are for a reason, and we cannot turn around now. We are at the disposal of an authority greater than our own, and we have to trust that someone with more knowledge than us, knows what he or she is doing.

First, we have to link arms with those beside us, who have been here before.  We have to lean on those trusted people in our lives who are by our side, praying for us when we are scared to death. 

Second, we have to trust God.  He has all the authority and to take care of us and protect us from all harm. He will tell us what to do when we get there.

2. It is here that we have to get out our identity.  The documents my mom got out proved two things: who she was; and what belonged to her.  When we are at a checkpoint in our lives, we have to remember who we are.  We are children of the King.  We were put here on this earth for such a time as this.  God has a future and a hope for all of his children.  We were here to serve Him and point people to him.  We have to believe that, even when it looks dark.

We also have to know what we own…we have everything we need in Christ.  He is our provision.  We cannot look into the rear view mirror of fear. We have to look straight ahead, and into the mirror of God’s word and believe that we have everything we need that pertains to life and godliness. We are God’s, but He is also ours.  We are in Him, and that is the safest, most secure place on earth to be.

3.  Moving forward can only be done after obedience.  We have to roll down our window, present our identities and possessions to God, and do what He says.  His job is to get us through this season; our job is to push the gas when (and only when) He says go! 

The truth is…

We will come to the other side of the checkpoint. 

·      …With a little more patience

We will have more understanding because we have been there now.

·      As a result of this experience, we will be able to help someone in the future who is sitting where we once were

 We will be appreciative for God’s protection and instruction through it. 

·      We will trust Him more and fear less

 And finally…we will move forward, past the stopping point.  This place will be behind us soon enough, but until it is, we must rest assured that it is all gonna be okay!

Proverbs 3:5-6English Standard Version (ESV)

5 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

    and do not lean on your own understanding.

6 

In all your ways acknowledge him,

    and he will make straight your paths.