The Bump Bump Truck

             

I

t was simply known as the Bump Bump Truck and we loved it for two very different reasons.  My dad loved the old truck because it ran well and because it was useful.  We thought it was fun because every time we rode somewhere the truck bumped and jostled, especially when daddy took us down one of our area’s many dirt roads on the way to the garden or to visit one of his friends.

I was only four or five years old but I distinctly remember laughing and giggling as that old truck jumped and bumped its way through the back roads of my hometown. No matter if the road looked smooth to me, the Bump Bump Truck found a way to make me jump, bounce, and laugh.  When my brother and I were both in the truck it was twice the excitement, twice the fun, and twice the noise.  I’m sure my dad would agree with the last point but not with the first two.  What was fun for us was just a normal drive for him; but then again, children find excitement and joy in almost any situation.  Sadly, this is something we lose the older and more mature we become.

I have thought about that old pickup truck and the roads we used to drive back home.  What a metaphor for life those roads have become as I have grown older.  Every bump, every rut, and every pothole, serves to remind me that the road of life is anything but smooth.

All of us have experienced bumps and knocks along life’s road.  Sometimes the bumps are intermittent, spaced far enough a part to remind us that every once in a while, life gives us a jolt. At other times, the road is one long washboard with seemingly no smooth sections at all. But no matter, smooth, somewhat bumpy, or rough, the road of life goes on and we must go on with it.

The disciples were not unfamiliar with bumps in the road and they walked with Jesus, himself.  They saw him, heard him, and lived with him every day.  Yet, there were times when they experienced “bumps” in the road, times when things grew difficult and sometimes down right scary.  One such instance is recorded for us in the book of John.  John 6:18 simply reads, “A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough.”

It should be noted that this passage comes in between two great miracles.  Immediately preceding this passage Jesus feeds the five thousand with the five barley loaves and two fishes supplied by a young lad.  Just after this passage, the disciples see Jesus walking on the water and they are frightened out of their wits.  But the present passage carries for us two great truths that we need to be aware of in our own walks with the Lord.

First, take note that the wind was blowing.  The wind didn’t kick up all of a sudden, agitating the waters into a swirling vortex.  No!  The storm had been developing, the winds had been gaining strength, and the waters had been growing more and more turbulent.  The further away from shore they went, the more bumps they encountered.

As if the wind weren’t enough, the water now gets in on the act. The waves grow rough, they toss the boat around as if it were only a fleeting thought.  The spray of the sea, once gentle and refreshing, has now become angry waves crashing over the boat.  In the midst of all this, they notice a man walking where it is impossible to walk.  Bump!  Bump!  Bump! The road just grows bumpier!  No matter what they do, they simply cannot find a smooth stretch that brings them peace.

Have you been there?  Have you felt the bumps in life’s road?  Have you wondered if there would ever be a smooth section again or if the road you’re walking has turned into nothing but a series of potholes?  Take heart!  It is when the bumps of life come that Jesus comes to us.  The disciples saw him walking on the water and not long after they were safe.  And it is the same with us.  

Jesus knows where we are on life’s road.  He knows the bumps and jolts we face and he promises to be with us through every single one of them.  Nothing comes into our lives, no pain, no challenge, no difficulty, no blessing, unless he first allows it.  Life’s road is bumpy, but God’s presence makes it bearable and enjoyable.  Would you like to take a ride in God’s Bump Bump Truck today?