I got caught in a severe storm while driving home today. Traffic on the interstate was backed up and snarled due to the torrential rains. Decreased visibility, thunder, lighning, and gusting winds made it difficult to see and stay in my own lane.

And naturally, there are always a couple fools who put themselves and everyone else at risk by ignoring the stormy weather and bad road conditions and continuing on as if everything was just fine. They're in a big hurry to get where they're going, no matter what.

When I was finally able to get off the interstate onto a slower side road, I noticed that although the storm had not abated, visibility was much clearer, because I was going slower. In fact, when I came to a stop sign, I could actually see fairly well.

Then I realized the lesson God had for me. So often, when we are in the midst of storms in our lives, we try to hurry up and get where we're going, no matter what. Our visibilty is blurred and it's hard to stay in the right lane, because we are going too fast.

If we take the time to slow down, we can better see and hear as the Holy Spirit leads and guides us in the ways we need to go. We could see much more clearly, and would not endanger ourselves and those around us with wrong decisions and poor choices. Isn't that a much better choice than to ignore the dangers and go on our way as if everything was just fine?

"Be still, and know that I am God..." (Psalm 46:10a)