BLOOD TRAIL: Semi vs. SUV and The Laws of Physics

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Semi vs. SUV and The Laws of Physics

On the way home from an evangelism conference a couple of years ago I witnessed an event that made an impression on me. Valerie and I were traveling west on I-64 about a mile and a half before the Scott Depot exit when we watched a little white SUV race ahead of us and cut over into the right hand lane just inches ahead of a tractor-trailer. Thankfully the truck driver was alert and avoided running over them. Then he did something I found interesting. He laid on the air horn so long and so startlingly loud that I was impressed. (Have you ever heard an angry truck? This was an angry truck.) He followed the SUV for about a mile to the exit and then partway up the off ramp all the while blowing his horns in one long strident blast. I was beginning to wonder if he would loose air to his trailer brakes. Was the truck driver just enraged at the stupidity of the SUV driver? Was what I witnessed merely a case of road rage? Probably… I don’t condone road rage, but, in my mind I tried to justify his actions. Maybe he was trying to impress the SUV driver just how dangerous his (or her) actions were. Was he trying to teach them a lesson or scare some sense into them?

How much does a loaded semi weigh? How much does a small SUV weigh?
BIG MISMATCH!

The laws of physics demand that for each and every action the will be an equal and opposite reaction. There just isn’t enough SUV there to absorb all the energy from that truck. If that truck driver hadn’t been alert there was going to be an accounting for the difference.
I hope that now the SUV driver understands that he is lucky that all he suffered was some embarrassment and that the only wrath he suffered came from some liberally applied air horns.
So too, our lives are inconsequential compared to the day that approaches each of us. We flirt with it all through our lives. We cut in and out of traffic and cross in front of the great terror of death each day. It isn’t so much that one day we’re the windshield and the next day we’re the bug it’s that one day the windshield catches us all.
It’s my hope that everyone who sees this article is saved. I know that many of you at least have some affiliation with or affinity for a local church. Frankly, though, I have no delusion that everyone that reads this note is saved. So those of you who are not please listen to what I have to say.
Here is the Gospel message as plain as I can tell it.

It is appointed to man once to die and after this the judgment. You have to face God on judgment day. I’m going to ask you some questions. Please answer them with an honest heart. Have you ever lied? Have you ever stolen? Jesus said that if you have just looked with lust at another person you have committed adultery with them already in your heart. Have you ever done that? Have you always put God first in your life? Have you loved Him so much that your love for your spouse and your family seems like hatred in comparison? I’m not saying that you make it to Heaven by keeping commandments or laws. I’m merely demonstrating that no one is innocent. The Bible says that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Those are just a few of the commandments. On judgment day you’re going to end up guilty. God has seen every sin you’ve ever committed. The Bible says that all liars will have their part in the lake of fire. If you die in your sins you will end up in hell. Jesus suffered in your place. It’s as if you broke the law and Jesus paid your fine. He purchased everlasting life for you. What you must do before you pass from life into death is to repent before God. Tell God you’re sorry and put your trust in Jesus. Are you prepared to do that now? Right where you are, in the quietness of your heart, confess your sins to God. Put your trust in Jesus just as you would an airline pilot or a parachute. Trust Him with your eternal salvation.
Gail

Luke 10:2

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BLOOD TRAIL

Hunting is a great pastime activity. In today’s world, with a few exceptions hunting isn't among the skill sets necessary to acquire our food and clothing. We are accustomed to 40 hour work weeks and the availability of less labor intensive hunting areas such as Walmart, Krogers and Sears. It’s much easier to work a job and then spend your money at a department store than to invest many hours studying, patterning, hunting, killing and preparing wild game for a few pounds of meat ,a hide and a set of horns. To those who don’t hunt it may look like a huge waste of time. Those of us who hunt know the benefit of the activity. It’s outdoors, usually solitary, relaxing, and requires preparation, diligence and discipline. (Kinda like a job) For those of us who hunt the rewards of relaxation and enjoyment outweigh, for the most part, all the hard work involved. One of the most important skills you can learn is blood trailing. In the daylight it is a relatively straightforward task after you find the first drop of blood. Each drop tells us something new. It can tell us weather the animal is moving or standing, If it’s moving which direction and how fast. It can tell us weather we should pursue quickly or allow it to rest. At times we can tell where the animal is wounded. There is certainly a good amount of satisfaction in the work, but probably the most rewarding part of the hunt is the stories we can tell. The things you notice while hunting, a bird you haven’t seen before, the antics of a squirrel or a fawn, the moment of the kill and the labor of retrieving your harvest.

My last hunt involved some blood trailing in the dark. As is common, my shot at a buck came just before sunset. I didn't like the placement of the shot so I waited until I thought he had gone out of earshot and hastily looked for the first blood sign I could find and marked it. I left it and went home to have a little supper and to get adequate lighting to follow the trail. When I came back I was able to quickly find the white tissue paper I had tied on a limb above the first drop of blood. Four hours and five hundred yards later I was privileged to retrieve the animal I had harvested.

I don’t want to bore you with all the details of a four hour tracking job but I do want to point out some interesting parallels to our Christian walk.

* Its important to pursue as quickly as possible. We must follow the trail with diligence unless we loose our harvest to other predators or scavengers. (2 Peter 1:10)

* What we see in the woods at night is completely different from what we are used to seeing during the day. The subtle yellows, greens and browns we see during the day becomes nearly monochromatic at night.

* The human eye is naturally drawn to the color red.

* At night there are different types of light, close in as from a gas lantern or a campfire, focused light as from a flashlight and the bluish white light of the moon on a really clear night. (Mat 5:14-16)

* Sometimes you will find yourself searching for the next drop of blood on your hands and knees.

* As you turn leaves over looking for the slightest trace of blood you may see a spot of red on the middle of a leaf. When you inspect more closely you discover it is a false drop. Maple leaves and others naturally have spots of red. I call them false drops. After a while you learn to recognize the difference between the real blood and the false trail randomly spread by the wind. (1 John 4:1)

* The real thing has the shine of authenticity. The more you see the real thing it becomes easier to recognize.

* Sometimes the trail is hidden by the forces of nature, rain, wind or animals. Even our own big feet can obliterate a blood trail. (Mark 4:4)

* At times you will loose the trail. At that point go back to the last drop of blood you found and begin searching in widening circles until you pick up the trail again.( Acts 17:27)

* Each step on the trail brings us closer to our harvest. (Philippians 3:14)

* Sometimes we need to go back to where we began and start the trailing process again from the beginning. We must ask ourselves questions about the important details. Was my shot really on the mark? Did I miss completely? Was the blood trail I was on actually real or was I fooled by the vagaries of nature? Once we assess where things truly stand we can either continue on the trail or begin the hunt again. (2 Cor. 13:2)