Can't see the - for the trees!

People who live within a 50-mile radius of Atlanta will know the Apocalypse has occurred the day we leave our houses and don’t encounter orange construction barrels on our way to work. On that premise, today is NOT the day. A long-awaited highway-widening project has come to my front door. The pleasant tree-lined, two-lane road outside my neighborhood is going doublewide!

When they began clearing out the trees on the side of the road I remember being so shocked the first time I saw the barren terrain. More shocking was that on the edge of the road I drove every day was a steep drop off. And although I was sad to see the greenery mowed down my first thought wasn’t for the lost trees.

What hit me was that for almost 20 years I couldn’t see the ditch for the trees. The thick foliage had given me a false sense of security that there was a buffer- a boundary there- something that would break any fall over the edge. But that wasn’t the case at all. The trees, underbrush and kudzu had been covering a huge chasm.

I wondered how much foliage in my own life I allow to grow up around me. What gives me a false sense of security when in reality I am dangerously close to the edge?

It was almost comical how once the trees were removed and the danger exposed, the average speed limit dropped about 20 mph. Just seeing what was really there was a cause to pause. In one day we went from speeding to creeping.

In one day we can go from avoiding to addressing.

What covers your secret sin or keeps you from God’s best for you? What foliage disguises your failing marriage or a lackluster faith journey? Ignoring problems don’t make them go away. Tear down the false protection. Mow down the pretense! Set up some sturdy guardrails- faith, accountability, counseling or friends.

Today’s a good day to start- after all it’s not the Apocalypse.

Learn the lessons in life’s little edits.