warning: closed for snow

So I was in southern California last January on business, driving in 6-lane-one-way-traffic between LA and Bakersfield on 'the 5' (I'm still trying to figure out why people from the west coast insist on putting the word 'the' in front of their highway names - the 5, the 405, the 101, the 280, etc), when I noticed a flashing sign on the roadside warning of a road closure ahead...

I didn't pay much attention to it and kept on trucking up the interstate as the sun disappeared into the ocean behind me... all the while, I continued to notice the occasional 18 wheeler parked on the side of 'the 5' (ok, I'm warming to the habit now).

Then another sign telling about a road closure ahead... wait, did that say 'because of snow'??? This is Southern California! Surely I am seeing things... it's 60 degrees! So, I continued headlong toward the 6,000 foot-high Grapevine Pass (well, yeah, in hindsight I probably should have put 2 and 2 together... but you have the benefit of hearing the story told after the fact!)...

The further along I traveled, the more big rigs I noticed parked along the side of the highway... then I noticed that the 6-lane-one-way-traffic had trickled down to one car - me!

Finally (as I passed literally hundreds of 18-wheelers parked along the roadside) I came upon an exit which I was forced to take because police officers had blocked off the interstate... So I pulled off and asked one of them what was the deal... he explained there was a snow storm which dumped two feet of snow on the Grapevine 20 miles ahead, and they had closed 'the 5'.

I stopped at a hotel by the exit and planned to make the rest of my trek the next day... turns out the road was closed when I got up at 5 the next morning, so I had to take quite a detour to get to my appointment in Bakersfield...

I wonder how many times I ignore warning signs? Everyone else can clearly see the danger, but I continue along my 'planned route' headlong into a situation I should avoid... Aren't we like that sometimes? People we should trust and rely upon are trying to tell us about the 'snow', and we rationalize our stubbornness til, hopefully, someone in a position of authority forces us to change our plan...

Many times I have ignored warnings, and God has not stopped me from experiencing the consequences.... so I rush headlong into one of life's 'snowdrifts'. However I am confident that, many times, God has redirected my path so I more closely follow His will and miss the drift...

May God's Spirit continue to guide us daily... and may we all pay attention to the road signs!

Blessings!