Beep. Beep. Beep.

I suppose this event occurred in the early 90s. I was walking across a stretch of rocky ground and near a bulldozer at our surface coal mine and then heard the back-up horn. As I attempted to move out of the way, I fell down and struggled to get back up. The beeping grew louder and I rolled over to see the bulldozer backing straight toward me. I couldn't move and realized I was about to die. The operator didn't know I was there and my panic was through the roof....and then I woke up to the beeping of our clock radio alarm! Never was I more relieved to wake up than that morning.

ROAD CONSTRUCTION!!!! As I sit here drinking coffee, I hear the crystal clear beeping of a construction vehicle backing up on 322! The back-up horn is a device to alert us that someone is backing up a huge machine and may not be able to see us. In other words, head up, eyes open, and be ready to move!

After working in the surface coal mining industry for 12 years, back-up horns were hardly noticed. When one is around beeping horns for a while the warning seems to blend into all the other noises. Never the less, it would be foolhardy to hear the warning and not heed its advice to be alert and move if necessary. Back-up horn manufacturers now offer warning signals of all kinds: Two toned horns, quacking horns, and even one that sounds like Tarzan!

My daily journey through Proverbs offers many references to fools and the lack of attention they give to guidance. Godly guidance is available to all and those who listen are called friends of God when we listen and follow through (John 15:14). When we insist on going our own way doing our own thing, God allows us to do so, but there will be consequences to deal with for sure. God speaks to us daily and He uses differing modes of communication to reach our closed minds. Let's get our head up, our eyes open, and get ready to be moved! Beep! Beep! Beep!