“The other afternoon,” Stan began, “my wife and I drove out towards Grangerville to see if we could pick up a couple of boxes of peaches from one of the orchard farmers out there.”
“Any luck?” I asked.
“Yes,” Stan replied. “Fabulous peaches! However, on the way back we came upon an accident. No one was hurt, but there was a real mess.”
“What happened?”
“Apparently,” Stan replied, “there was a farm tractor pulling a trailer loaded with some sort of fruit that got hit by a train at a crossing.”
“Was it the train to glory?” I asked with a smile.
“Not sure,” Stan replied, “but I don’t think so.”
Continuing, he said, “While we were stopped, the fellow who had been driving the tractor was still there. I got out of the car, inquired if he was okay, and asked him what happened.”
“He said that a train never comes through there during that part of the day and he had not even bothered to stop at the crossing. As he going across the tracks, he heard the blasting of the train’s horn, saw the train, and jumped off the tractor and got out of the way just before the crash.”
“Once we were on our way,” Stan continued, “my wife and I were talking about what had happened. She made a point about railroad crossings being just like our lives in Christ. If we want to see God, we can do that by looking at Christ, but in order to look at Christ, we have to stop. And we have to look at God’s word. Then we have to listen to God’s voice through His indwelling Holy Spirit.”
“Stop. Look. Listen. Good way to avoid the crashes of this world,” I responded.
“Yes, indeed, my friend,” Stan replied.”
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For in Him (Jesus) all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form. Colossians 2:9.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for sending your Son Jesus into the world as your likeness. Kind of like you were walking around earth on two legs. Thank you for allowing me to see you, and thank you for making it clear that I need to stop looking at myself in order to see you. And that I need to look at Christ in order to see you. And that I have to listen to your voice through your Holy Spirit in order to hear what you have to say. I confess that too often I do not do that. Please forgive me. And please, Lord, lead me in stopping, looking, and listening to you alone. Thank you I can and do bring these prayers before you in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Waiting for the Train 