Another Christmas

By DT Dueker

"I must have driven this route a thousand times and every time there's some sort of delay." I allowed my frustration to simmer quietly while vainly attempting to see what the hold up was this time. Interstate 20 hadn't been all that bad actually. It was the overpass to exit Cooper Street that brought everyone to a standstill tonight. I was in the far right lane and it wasn't budging an inch. "Maybe I can merge left a lane or two and bypass whatever it is." I reflected hopefully. But a quick check to see oncoming traffic headed my way at 50 mph dashed the idea quickly enough. I'd simply have to wait until the light changed, then maybe the lanes would clear up and. . . uh oh. Three police cars. This was serious. It was cold in my automobile, the kind of chill that allows you to see your breath fogging up the windows. Through the blur I counted the cars. One, two, three, four, five. A five car pile up! It blocked nearly half of the overpass. And, of course, I silently chastised them for driving recklessly. Didn't they know they were a considerable inconvenience to everyone in Arlington?

Of course, at the top of the Cooper overpass, one can clearly see the interstate below, teeming with myriads of motorists speeding along east and west. Aimlessly, I watched the traffic for a moment and suddenly felt like an insignificant cog in a giant machine. Scads of cars driving dutifully to and fro. But why? And to where? Did they realize they'd all have to come back again? Like hamsters running their wheels. . .

"It's nearly Christmas now," I remembered. "I wonder if we'll just rush through it at breakneck speed this year?" After all, I had just balked at a five minute wait for a bit of traffic. "Is anyone else in our age of e-everything likely to take the time to sit down and think much about the meaning of the holiday? And do we have room in our busy schedules, our busy lives, for anything or anyone but ourselves?"

I hope, I pray, that Christmas will be meaningful to you this year. That you won't need a five car pile up to force you to slow down and think about life and where you're headed. That if you know Jesus Christ you'll take the time to celebrate his coming in gratitude, and if you don't know him, that you'll make room for him in your life this year. He's the only one who can give our lives true direction, even in the midst of circumstances we'd rather avoid.