“Who’s Your Plow Truck Driver?”
By Pastor Ron Buxton
Winter in the great state of Maine is certainly much different than what we experience here in west Texas. I know this first hand. That’s where I was born and raised. And never will I ever forget the blizzard of 1978—and the chest high snow that fell during that one storm! In fact, the snow banks almost touched the power lines!
And so, thinking about those days reminded me about the challenges that wintry driving can be. Granted, here in Van Horn we do face slippery road surfaces—but nothing like there. So-called “white-out” conditions make driving absolutely terrifying. And that reminds me of a story.
One of the things that my dad taught me about winter driving was to follow the municipal plow and sand trucks on the roadways. What that means is that—directly behind them–the roads will always be cleared and safe for driving. And so, that’s exactly what one young man did one wintry morning. He spotted a plow truck up ahead, and began to follow that driver.
For several minutes he followed extremely close behind that truck, which caught the attention of that municipal driver. And he wasn’t happy. So much so, in fact, that he frantically motioned to the young man. And then stopping abruptly, that driver got out to share a few heated words.
“What are you doing?” he shouted.
“Obviously—I’m following you”, replied the startled young man, “You see, my dad told me to always follow the snow plow trucks whenever it was snowing–so that I could drive safely on the roadway.”
“Well”, responded the plow truck driver, now calmed down, “When I get done here in this Walmart parking lot–you’re welcome to follow me to the next parking lot!”
I told that funny story to make a very serious point. How many people are “driving around” in life without any sense of direction or purpose? They see these metaphorical “snow plows” in front of them—and they timidly follow behind them. Let’s be honest—just because a person looks like they are safe to follow doesn’t mean that they really are. And to take that chance could be fatal.
The book of Proverbs tells us twice (12:15 and 14:12): “There is a way that seems right unto a man, but the end thereof is the way of death.” That’s a pretty sobering thought that God chose to repeat for emphasis. Folks–who, or what, are you following– regarding life’s ultimate goals? Frankly, there’s not much wiggle room there.
When Christ proclaimed Himself to be “the Way, the Truth, and the Life–and that nobody can get to heaven apart from Him” (John 14:6), He wasn’t giving humanity some so-called “alternative facts”. You see, the Gospel is not a menu option inside some kind of celestial restaurant that people can pick and choose from. Who–or what–you follow is more important than navigating a Walmart parking lot. And the destination is not so temporary!
