“Potholes”

                Back when we were living in Florida, we returned to Indiana one weekend for a friends wedding.  It was a dark and rainy night, and Dallan and I found ourselves driving home late after the wedding we had attended in a town we were unfamiliar with.  I was behind the wheel and we were talking about the wonderful time we had just had with old friends when out of nowhere I hit the hugest pothole ever.  I mean, we practically fell into this crater.  I thought we’d have to get a tow truck to be pulled out!  Ok, that’s an exaggeration, but it was an enormous bump on our journey home.  I continued down the road slowly as we discussed the possibility of a tire issue soon to come.  But nothing seemed amiss so we continued on our way.

                We were maybe half-way home when we received a call from some friends who had heard we were in town and wondered if we would stop to see them.  It was late, but we weren’t in Indiana every day so we decided to swing by to see them on our way back to my parent’s house, where we were staying for the night.  We were at this friend’s house maybe thirty minutes and were back out the door.  I’m sure you can imagine what we found upon returning to the car.  In the short time we had spent visiting with friends, the front left tire had completely lost its air.  We had a flat.  Our friends helped us out with the tools we needed (thank goodness we stopped and were with friends when it happened rather than somewhere down the road on our own!) Our late night turned into a later night! 

                Speaking of potholes, do you ever notice how bad they get in the winter when road crews are plowing and putting salt down constantly?  The constant freezing and thawing does a number on our smooth roads!  I often find myself wondering about the crew who laid this road to begin with.  Wouldn’t they love to see their handiwork looking like this?  What do you do when you come up on a particularly holey road?  I find myself slowing way down in order to maneuver better and avoid severe damage to me or my car.  I am more careful and intentional about driving when I come upon them!

                I’ve always thought of potholes, both in life and on the highway, as annoyances and burdens.  But I wonder if potholes are actually precious gifts precisely for the reason we find them so frustrating: they slow us down!  Potholes make us more careful and more intentional.  Potholes often cause us to rely on others and we learn to receive.  Potholes can even point us back to our Creator.  During this season of thankfulness, I’m grateful for the moments I’m forced to slow down my pace of life, refocus, realign, and even change a flat tire.  May God be revealed in your potholes.          

                                                                                                              --Janice Troyer