Oh man.
I have to be somewhere.
I am in a hurry. I forget why…
Of course this is when it always happens, it’s like a law of nature
And there it is, yet again, that garish burnt orange road sign, construction up ahead, and the traffic at a standstill…
And there he is again, that camel haired, wild bearded John the Baptist on the road crew, with that same garish burnt orange helmet and vest.
And that sign, he has that sign, that swings back and forth from stop and go, letting the traffic pass through like an erratic tide.
I pull up. Its my turn. He sees me and smiles. And then he gets that look in eyes. Uh oh. When John the Baptist looks at you like that it can’t be good.
Sure enough. I’m right. He decides to take a break.
So I’m stuck there. And this goes on for awhile. I wait. And then awhile longer. And then again.
What is he taking a nap?
There isn’t anybody coming, I’ll sneak past.
I quietly put the car into drive and start to inch forward. But he sees me! He waves his hands in the air, but I can’t control myself, I gun my engine and go for it!
Well the long story short, I end up in a ditch.
John the Baptist pulls me free from the tangle and the mud.
He hands me a shovel, a burnt orange helmet and a burnt orange vest.
“Welcome to the road crew”, he says, “We have work to do.”
God’s road crew he says, we have to get ready, he’s coming soon, prepare the way, God’s parade is coming this way, make the crooked road straight, the rough street smooth.
I can hear them coming, we get busy.
John the Baptist, he does this every time. I should know it by now.
When my life is all about me and my being in a hurry, he shows up and redirects my traffic…
God’s road crew, getting ready for God’s parade, making the crooked straight, the rough ways smooth.
And John the Baptist, just smiling there on the side of the road, with that wild hair, that garish burnt orange helmet and vest with that look in his eyes looking right at us…