A Lesson Each Of Us Can Learn From Driving

They’re annoying, but helpful. They’re loud, but necessary. They are chatter bumps.

C’mon. You know what chatter bumps are, right? Here’s the definition. Chatter bumps: a small depression in a roadbed, usually occurring in series and creating a corrugated or rippled surface. 

Now you’ve got it, right? Those little bumps on the side of the road designed to warn you that you’re drifting out of your lane. They make like a “chattering” sound. Hence, a “chatter bump”.

I live about a half mile, as the crow flies, from the highway. The other day, I was sitting on my back deck, and could hear the sounds of the chatter bumps. Yes, a half mile away! Made me wonder what was going on. Animal in the road? Distracted driver? Someone falling asleep at the wheel?

The point of these bumps is to keep you from going off of the road. We don’t ignore these bumps. We straighten out the wheel, and we jump right back into the lane. The Chatter Bumps have done their job!

Can you ignore the chatter bumps? Yes. But, what’s the outcome? A ditch? A guardrail? An accident? If you heed the sound, and the purpose of the chatter bumps, you’re much safer on the road.

In life, God has given us something like a personal set of “Chatter Bumps”, The Holy Spirit. (Work with me for a second) The Spirit helps keep us from going, “off the road” that God has paved for our life. Nudging us from making bad decisions. Keeping us on the straight and narrow. Reminding us to look out for others.

When driving, you can travel for miles without needing the chatter bumps to keep you on the road. Yet, when you hear them, and you suddenly feel the shaking of the steering wheel, pay attention!

Similarly, you might go hours in your day without “that nudging” to remind you to stay the course. Yet, when you hear the “chatter bumps”, or the still small voice, LISTEN UP! Your steering wheel won’t shake, but inside, you’ll know for sure that you need to pay attention.  God has a way of doing that!

Stay on the road. Listen for the chatter bumps. And, always run by faith.