The Directions

 
Daily, I speak with Dr. David Lacey, our WCS Upper School Administrator and I am amazed at his thought processes. Below is a recounting a of a very important conversation we had almost four years ago. It is from April 13, 2010.

This Saturday, I'm preaching the wedding of Sarah, my former student and basketball manager, and Dennis, a recent Texas A+M graduate. A Saturday wedding means a Friday rehearsal. Having misplaced the rehearsal invitation, I e-mailed the bride-elect who reminded me the run through starts at 4:00. Now, this is the ninth wedding I have officiated but the first with the rehearsal in the afternoon. Sarah explained that there is another reservation for the facility at 5 PM so we have to be in and out in an hour. That I like! I guarantee there will be no messing around with a running hourglass.

I did a mapquest from my school address to the location in Richmond, Texas and found it's twenty-five miles away with an estimated driving time of thirty-four minutes. After the end of school bell yesterday, I was standing with Dr. David Lacey, our Upper School Administrator, in hte hallway by the high school office. I mentioned to David that since school gets out at 3:25, exactly thirty-five minutes from the start of the rehearsal, I might need to leave a few minutes early. He asked where the event would be and when I told him, he said the thirty-five minute estimated drive time might be accurate IF YOU DRIVE IT AT THREE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING. He asked if I had ever driven to Richmond, a suburb of Houston, on a Friday afternoon; I had not. He told me the road tends to become a parking lot and if he were the one preaching the wedding, he would leave no later than 2:00. Not being from Houston, and not totally convinced, I think I murmured some vague protestations that it couldn't be that bad. David called a few faculty members over who verified the horrors of the Friday drive home commute. Dr. Lacey, an attorney as well as a high school principal, made his closing argument with this question:

''Let me ask you: is this a once in a lifetime event?''
I agreed that it was, particularly for Sarah and Dennis.
''Then how could you risk being late, especially with a one hour deadline for the rehearsal? You need to take off seventh and eighth period. We'll get someone to cover your classes.''

And that was it. He was right, of course. I abhor missing any class time but I don't know Houston traffic and I would have a hard time forgiving myself for causing the slightest problem in Sarah's big day. You see, mapquest can tell me the directions but David knows the road. I was going to cut corners, in my ignorance, and I needed someone to tell me that I was out of line. The Scriptures speak of roads and paths, gates and narrow ways, all dealing with the journey to heaven. We need the Word of God, which we're told is a lamp to our feet and light for our path. And, sometimes we need a more human GPS system to help navigate the roads more travelled. I found one standing at the end of the hall,

Applicable quote of the day:

''The best car safety device is a rear view mirror with a policeman in it.''

Dudley Moore

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

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E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com