Rumble Strips

They’re called rumble strips.

They are those deep grooves on the pavement that alert you, for example, when you have swerved onto the shoulder.

Or they appear on exit ramps to tell you to slow down as a warning that there is a serious curve/turn up ahead.

I hate them.  And I hate them for the reason that makes them so effective.  I hate the sound.  I hate that I don’t just hear, I feel it in my bones, like fingernails on a chalkboard.

But, as I said, they serve a purpose.

Earlier this year, during my Morning Prayer reflections, I spoke often about stumbling blocks, about those little things that pop up in our lives and just ruin our day, get us off track.  And even if the stumbling blocks are small, they compound, they build on each other.  One little thing added on top of a thousand little things can break us.

This past month or two has been a trial for me as I’ve dealt with broken teeth, tooth infections and most recently two root canals done at the same time.  Physically, I am spent.  Emotionally, I am spent.  And when I saw yesterday that I had a brake light out, all I wanted to do was sob.  I know, it’s just a bulb.  I know.  But my goodness, I’m tired.

I’m know I’m not tired like Jesus was tired after 40 days and 40 nights fasting and wandering in the wilderness.  It was during this time that Jesus was tempted by Satan.  We don’t know all the ways Jesus was tempted.  We don’t have a calendar that shows us on Day 20, this happened.  But we do know, from today’s reading that at the end of the 40 days, Jesus was tempted in three very specific and intense ways.

And what I want to point out is that Jesus faced these temptations when He was at His weakest.  Not on Day 1 when He was still basking in the joy of His baptism.  And yes, I think baptism was a joyful moment for Jesus.  So not then, but on Day 40 when He had absolutely nothing left but His spirit, the spirit that in His fasting and prayer had been honed and sharpened and strengthened.  Jesus passed those tests not because He was physically strong, or emotionally strong, but because He was spiritually strong.

We tend to neglect our spiritual selves a lot in this world.  We know the value of eating well.  We know the value of taking mental health days or breaks, watching for signs that burn out may be coming.  We’re pretty good at hearing those rumble strips warning us to slow down.

Whether we listen to those warnings … well that’s where our spiritual health comes into play.

Because our spirit knows us better than anyone or anything.

Slow down.

Watch for God.

I told you last week that no matter what happened at my root canal, I would have a story.  I also promised not to give a sermon this Sunday on root canals, but I made no promise about Morning Prayer.  So here it is.

This was going to be my first root canal.  I had two teeth that were in trouble, but told initially that only one would need the root canal.  Unfortunately, when I got there, they did those special 3d x-rays and told me I needed two root canals.  Both teeth were infected.  Trust me when I say this, that was the only time in the hour and a half I was there that I was in tears.  The procedure didn’t hurt.  The bill did.

And it was around that time that they decided to take my blood pressure right before administering the nerve block.

For the record, I was 160/100.

“Wow, that’s high,” I said to the dental assistant.

She laughed.  “We call that normal.”

So they numbed me, they leaned me back, and right then everything was quiet enough that I could hear the music they were playing.

It was Zach Williams, “Old Church Choir.”

It’s one of my favorite songs, specifically the line, “There ain’t nothin’ gonna steal my joy.”

And I was like, thank you God, for that song.  I mean that was so weird that a Christian song would play.

And then, another Christian pop song began to play, followed by another and another—it was a playlist of my most favorite songs that only God and I know.

So, now I’m laying there thinking did I stumble on a Christian endodontist?  Did he market himself as that?  Did I miss something?  I mean the Cincinnati area is technically at the northern edge of the Bible Belt, but that was a lot of Christian music.

After the endodontist was finished, I was left alone with the dental assistant as she prepared to cement my one crown that had fallen off during the procedure.  I don’t remember how exactly we got started on this conversation, but she mentioned that this was a second career for her, and I asked her what she had done before.

She mentioned office work, bookkeeping and then mentioned she had been a bookkeeper for a church.

Well, when she said “church,” I figured she opened the door, I might as well walk on right through that.  I told her I enjoyed the music that had played during my root canals, that I appreciated the music in fact.  She told me that the music is curated by the staff.  I told her how I went to St. Barnabas down the street and that I would be preaching in a couple weeks.  She played for me some other Christian music that I didn’t know.  She told me how she had prayed with patients in the past, and I thought if I had known that I would have asked her to pray with me.

People, when they’re hurting, when they’re struggling, tend to ask for signs from God and here’s what I’ve learned over the years—God doesn’t provide a sign “on demand.”  He doesn’t provide signs at all.  What we identify as signs are the things that God is doing in our lives all the time, constantly.  It’s just that sometimes we catch a brief glimpse and we say, “Thank you, God for that reminder.  Thank you, God for that sign.”

When in fact, He is always there.

Rumble strips.

That’s how I started this reflection.

Rumble strips.

The strips that say, “Watch out!  Slow down!  Be careful!”  The strips that say, “Hey someone put us here because they care about you and don’t want you crashing the car!”

God is our rumble strip and more.

So much more.

He’s not with us only when we’re approaching life’s biggest obstacles or challenges, He is with us all the time.  You do not need to ask for a sign.

You need to open your eyes.

You need to listen with your heart.

You need to feel with your spirit.

Amen.