One thing I like to make sure I have, especially this time of year, is windshield washer fluid. I absolutely hate when I'm driving through a sheen of dried salt and dirt and nothing comes out of the little sprayers when I push the button. Further compounding the problem is that once you push the button, the wipers automatically turn on and effectively spread the crud all over the windshield whenever the fluid is out. Horribly frustrating. It is a matter of great concern.
It's not just an irritant either, it's dangerous! When I turn towards the sun it makes it almost impossible to see out the windshield. Caught on the highway in a heavy snowfall? Just forget it. Pull into the nearest gas station and pray they have washer fluid left on the shelves because it is going to be an exceedingly white-knuckled drive if they don't. I speak from experience.
Oh, but the level of joy I feel when I push the little button and out comes the fluid, on go the wipers, and GLORY!! Crystal clear vision! Suddenly colors are brighter, lines are sharper, and vague shadows turn into people, places, and things.
I experienced this borderline neurotic euphoria just yesterday as I was driving home from dropping the girls off at school, except this time it was accompanied by an unexpectedly deep thought: "This is just like my life." Allow me to elaborate.
My life has always been up and down when it comes to clarity. There are days when I'm looking through a perfectly clear windshield and all is right. Then there are days, moments even, when I can't see what's ahead of me, and that makes me anxious. Everything is blurred and grimy and feels unpleasant. When we're talking about windshields, the cause for the opacity is obvious. When we're talking about our lives, discerning the root of the issue gets considerably more complex.
What God dawned on me yesterday morning was that my life becomes overwhelming and my purpose and path become hazy when I let the struggles of this life create a film of anxiety through which I view everything. Everything is clouded by a desire to know how things will play out and to control the moving pieces so the best possible outcome is achieved. When I'm focused more on the junk right in front of me than I am on the One who holds the power to make all things new, I can't see anything clearly - not even Him. It's only when I stop and take the time to listen to what God is saying that I can let His living water wash over me and give me a new, clear vision. I'd like to say that that I don't have to repeat this process daily, sometimes multiple times a day, but I'd be lying. Just like a filthy windshield in a Midwestern winter, I have to be washed over and over again to be able to achieve the clarity required to keep my path straight. Otherwise I veer off into worry, anxiety, and doubt.
What's covering the windshield of your life right now? Is it the dirt of financial trouble? Is it the road salt of serious illness? Perhaps it's the dried slush of perpetual sin or the bird droppings of random setbacks. I don't know what the particular concretion over your life is right now, but I do know that God is waiting for you with holy solvent in hand. He may not remove you from a difficult situation or fix all your problems, but He will guide you in to a much better place where peace and clarity live. I know because He's done so for me time and time again. His grace never runs out.
