Crossing Guard

On my regular route to work this morning, I spied a very interesting thing. I was heading toward Stephanie's house to drop off my sweet girl for a couple of hours. Being a little bit ahead of schedule, I felt no need to hurry.

Driving through the green light at Walnut, I noticed that the traffic had come to an abrupt halt. I remember thinking that I would try and take another route next week to skip the carpool lane.

Inch by inch, I finally made it to the four way stop where I would be making a right. As I drew close to the crosswalk, I watched the crossing guard step out in front of me to lead a boy safely across the street. I smiled at her as she held up her sign. She was bold, yet cautious - she moved quickly but watched carefully.

I started thinking about how vulnerable this woman was. Here she was, directing traffic with no real authority. She wore no badge, nor did she have a K-9 or a gun. The reflective vest was the only thing that seemed to qualify her for the job.

I have heard a few instances lately, where little kids have been hit by cars going to and from school. My guess is that these were accidents - people just driving too fast combined with kids running out into the street without looking.

This dear woman, trying her hardest, really had no authority to make us drivers behave. Sure, most of us there were parents, and we wanted to abide by the rules to keep any and all kids safe. But for moments when the rules were being broken, and lives were endangered she really held no authority to promote change.

As she stepped back on to the curb, I turned my blinker on and made my right turn. As I hit the gas, something startled me out of the corner of my eye. It was something I wasn't expecting, and I was suddenly really happy to be on my best driving behavior.

Positioned just feet away from this crossing guard, was a police office on a motorcycle. I had to chuckle a little . . . and it made me think about how God stands watch over us.

Like crossing guards, we put on our "serving" vests and hold up our signs - hoping to protect a wee Christian here and there. We serve with the best of intentions, hoping that things will go well, but knowing that we really don't have any authority to make things happen.

And while He can't be seen, our faithful Father waits close by, standing post - ready to pounce on any perpetrator. He is a silent but very powerful friend, having all authority over both heaven and earth.

I drove to work feeling very safe under His watchful eye today. As I pulled out my own stop sign to begin my shift, I smiled knowing that although silent and unsuspecting . . .

God is always suited up and ready to watch my back.