Every Soot Cloud Has a Silver Lining

       

When I walked out the door I knew it was going to be a red-letter day on the calendar. It was Spring, the birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and the temps were just about perfect for a morning drive to work with the windows down, sunroof open, and the radio blaring out some of my favorite songs! Life was good. As I bebooped down the road towards work I fell in behind a tow truck obviously headed to work as well. The fact that this truck was having to travel at a much slower speed didn't even phase my morning commute it actually was allowing me to take in a little bit more of the wildflowers sprouting up on the banks of the road and out along the fields and farms. It was a good day. We both eased our way up to the red light at the intersection leading onto the main roadway. Then it happened. When the light turned green and the driver of the wrecker accelerated to overtake the little peak of our road, this huge billowing cloud of black soot engulfed my little white Honda CRV. When I say engulfed my vehicle I mean literally inside and out black exhaust smoke overtook my vehicle, my visual capabilities, and even my lungs as I inhaled a big whiff of black soot. Good old diesel engines, you gotta love'em! 

       As we both proceeded through the red light the wrecker took a left hand turn, which is the normal direction of my morning commute, but after what just happened, I determined a right hand turn, which would result in a little longer drive, was absolutely in order and preferred. Soon after we had parted ways the air cleared, the clanging clatter of the values dissipated, and the sun was able to resume shining down on me and my little CRV. Life was good, again.
      Now here's some takeaways I received from that little experience. First off, life can be chiming along with everything going your way and then all of a sudden boom it's like a dark cloud just set in over your head and thunderstorms are following you wherever you go. I could have just as easily been driving along and instead of a cloud of exhaust fumes it could have been a vehicle barreling in behind me ramming into the rear end of my vehicle landing me in the hospital. Or maybe it could have been that I'm loving my career and all of a sudden zap the bottom falls out of the industry and I'm sitting down looking at a permanent lay off slip. Fill in the blank family, marriage, finances, dark clouds in your life are just that a dark cloud. They stink, they mess up your day/life, and you would just as soon roll up your windows, close the sunroof, and move on down the road away from them as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, we don't have that luxury in most of those situations, you may be able to head away from a tow truck pushing out black soot exhaust clouds, but in life it just isn't that easy.
     There's a reason for that. Some of those dark clouds are there to build us up to the person we are supposed to be. Keep that in mind the next time you are going through one of life's dark periods. Heck, your dark cloud may have been with you for a while and it sure doesn't appear to be going away on its own. Maybe, just maybe that situation you are dealing with is going to be the platform by which you impact your circle of influence. Maybe it's there so you can teach your family how to persevere through challenges so that when you are gone they will be able to advocate for themselves due to your example. Maybe, that dark cloud of soot was cannoned out of that exhaust so you would turn right instead of your normal left hand turn, resulting in you seeing a car stranded on the side of the road with a flat tire and a mother with two small children that needs a helping hand. Maybe, just maybe, that black cloud that is hanging over your head is a reminder that you have a beautiful life to live and you can't even see the sun shining when there are no clouds in sight. Trust me that wrecker wasn't in front of me for no reason. If nothing else I'm pretty sure that wrecker and the ensuing exhaust blast was given to me as an impetus for this Flat Tire Ministry Thought that I am sharing with you today because someone needed to hear this message today!
     Regardless of how bad that cloud of smoke messed up my drive at that moment, when that light changed from red to green I had a choice to make. I could have chosen to stay right behind that wrecker and continue to get blast after blast of black diesel fuel exhaust, or I could turn right extend my drive, but open myself up to a list of new opportunities that I might not of otherwise have found. It is exactly the same in your life. When you are down, when life is blowing black soot right in your face you have a choice to make. You can squander away your life, feeling sorry for yourself, and making that dark cloud your home away from home. Or you can make the decision to look beyond the situation you are in and start looking at the potential this dark cloud is offering you to serve God. The apostle Paul walked with Christ after being blinded on the Damascus road. From there he experienced persecution, threats, beatings, a constant pain in his side, and being shipwrecked at sea all while serving God. Here's what he said about his situation. "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. So what shall I choose? I do not know. I am torn between the two. I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better indeed. But it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. “Philippians 1:21-24 The things Paul endured made him desire to leave this earth and receive the peace and joy promised in Heaven, but he knew that through the pain and suffering he endured he was better equipped to help even us today. In this "me" generation we are living in, it is important that we as followers of Christ understand that your life isn't about you! Your life is about the legacy you can leave behind to make this world a better place where black soot clouds get swooshed away by the gentle exhale of our Heavenly Father as He opens up your pathway to where He has purposed you to go.
Life is good, even in a cloud of soot!
Coach Carter