In the Fog

There is something mysterious and unnerving about fog. As I was driving home through a thick blanket of gray, I squinted into the distance. Familiar landmarks were there, but I couldn't see them. It felt like I was completely alone, isolated in a cloud of mist. My comfort came from the fact that I was driving on a familiar road. I knew exactly where the stop signs were, where the road turned suddenly, and where there are frequent deer. Even though I couldn't see clearly, I knew the way, and I knew what I could trust.

As I passed the last stop sign before turning toward home, I squinted through the fog and was suddenly thankful. I was thankful for the fog. I reflected on the fact that sometimes it's good to just focus on what's directly in front of me... and not on the houses and cars, and people and trees and fields and all the other things that distract me as I drive. In the fog I turn off the radio, I zero in on the road. And I let my trust take me where I need to go. I trust the road is still beneath me, even though I can't see it. I trust the trees have not moved. I trust the road still turns at just the same places. And I trust the stop signs and intersections are still there. What makes it scary is that I cannot know about the other cars. The pedestrians. The people who venture out in the fog, and surprise me by their seemingly sudden presence.

I am realizing in this season, that there is joy in the fog. To be surrounded and enveloped by a blanket of unknowns, yet knowing that my Lord is still the same, and He does not change. He is the road firm beneath me; He is the one who illumines my way. He reveals what is ahead at just the right time. I can trust Him.

The fog helps me focus on what I know to be true, and to let go of the details that leave me distracted and apathetic to the important things.

Thanking the Lord today for His constant presence, even in the fog.