On our very first trip out west we were immediately mesmerized by the new terrain and landscape. The breathtaking, winding highways that so carefully trailed around mountains led to many unsolicited “wows and ahhhs”. There were low valley roads that were nestled against flowing rivers with rocks larger than my car. Some of the highways were so close to rock formations that you felt like you could roll the window down and touch them as you drove by.

The immense beauty led to many conversations with my traveling partner, my youngest daughter, that we have never had before.

Initially she was perplexed at the large wire cages and netting that was neatly wrapped around the rock formations and lower sides of the mountains. This was accompanied by road signage that simply said, “Watch for Fallen Rock”. I explained to her the wire caging would either slow down the rocks or even completely stop them from falling into traffic or on pedestrians. I also pointed out the loads of rocks laying in the bottom of the cages. The cages and nets were clearly doing their job.

The more we drove we realized that not every county we passed through believed in posting the warnings of potential fallen rock. My daughter jokingly said, “Well this county here doesn’t even care about their citizens.”

We would drive through the next county where they had warning signs and she would say, “Ah, they love their taxpayers in this county.”

The longer the road trip, the more jokes or threat of fallen rocks we needed to stay awake!

When we talked about warning signs, the Holy Spirit gently reminded me about the Bible. So many people view the word of God as an outdated, dusty book of rules that is just trying to suck the fun out of our lives. I may have been a student of this school of thought through my youth. Being a pastor’s daughter, we had more rules to follow than the military. Through my youthful foolishness and my adult mistakes, it took many years of being on a potter’s wheel for the Lord to smooth out my edges.

Only now, can I truly say that the Bible is there to be our guide and our light. It is there to warn us of upcoming fallen rock. It is there to keep us safe from ourselves and our fallen nature.

The Holy Bible is full of beautiful intentional words and stories that encompass every pitfall that could come our way. It is meant to warn us of the possibilities of what sin can do in our lives. But unlike fallen rock that immediately causes unrepairable damages or death, we have been gifted a Savior who can make beauty out of ashes and roll stones away to save mankind.

My prayer is that you begin to lean on the word of God for the beauty it brings into our lives and not for what you think it takes away from your life.

“Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.” – Psalm 119:105

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