Fog…. Ick.

Okay, I’ll be honest, it’s not the FOG that is ick; it’s DRIVING in fog that is ick.

Recently, another teacher and I attended a workshop in a small town about 90 miles away. I had to drive a school district vehicle there every morning and home again every evening for three days. As I drove, I navigated through fog all three mornings. The first and last mornings the fog was patchy, while heavy at times. But that middle morning… Oh. My. Goodness. It was thick and heavy the whole ninety – oops, make that 130 miles.

Yes, I admit it, I got lost in the fog. I missed a highway marker sign and a sign that told me to turn. I went on to a small town – nearly 20 miles further than I should have. The fog was thick enough that we weren’t able to get a signal on either of our map apps on our phones. So, I did the only logical thing – I turned around and went back 20 miles, found the small sign and turned. We made it to our conference – about half an hour late. Glad we left early.

Fog does funny things.

If I don’t have to drive in it, I love to sit out in it. While sitting there, I feel as though I am cushioned in cotton. I feel safe and protected. The world feels quieter and more peaceful. When I was a little girl I remember my Grandmother had a beautiful broach with blue glass stones. She kept it in a small white gift box where it sat on cotton and was covered with cotton. That’s how I feel when I sit in fog. I feel treasured – like God has wrapped me in a soft blanket of His protection and peace. Weird? Probably, but that’s okay.

I’ve driven/ridden in fog that was so thick I couldn’t see where I was two different times in my life. One was last week. It was frustrating and stressful. The other time, I was a passenger in a car and my husband was driving. We were going from Sacramento, CA heading to a small town north of there. For the first time in my life, I saw arrows painted onto the highway telling the driver to change lanes. The fog in this area was often so thick that signs couldn’t be seen so they had to come up with a different, more efficient way to communicate with drivers on the roads. In my opinion, the speed at which the cars traveled on that stretch of the freeway was way too fast for the conditions. I recall feeling the same kind of emotions as I did last week, frustration and stress. I was also a little scared.

If I’m honest, I’ll admit that it’s not just the weather and humidity that cause fog in my life. There are different kinds of fog.

There is the numbing fog that you feel when you’ve been given news you’d rather not hear. An unexpected diagnosis, news of a loss, facing unjust circumstances are all situations that come to mind. Of course, there is that fog that you experience when you don’t feel well, when your symptoms or medication make you feel a little “off” or a little out of it. As I grew up, I couldn’t really fool people into believing I was sick – and yes, I may have tried a time or two. However if I felt badly, people could almost always tell because I was usually out of sync with the people or situations around me. I often seemed to not notice the people or conversations or dangers around me. It was like I was functioning in my own foggy world.

And the most frightening of all kinds of fog – spiritual fog. This is the confusion that we experience when we aren’t following the right path. It happens because we’ve taken our focus off the navigational equipment:  His Word, our faith, time with Him spent in prayer, and time spent listening.

Navigating the fog in our life may mean we need to slow down or even turn around. It may mean that we need to sit, rest, and enjoy God’s protection and care. It could be that we white knuckle our way through it, knowing that it will eventually end. Making it to the other side of the fog may mean taking time to pursue a remedy and taking time to heal. Or, it could be that we very simply need to focus on the tools we’ve been given… God’s Word, using our faith to follow where He leads us, and spending time with our Father in prayer.

Well my friend, how’s the fog out your way?