Listen so You Can Stop!

by Cheryl Wallace

The sun was shining in my face as we drove up Rail Canyon Road. I was rushing up this mountain road. I knew this road like the back of my hand. Higher and higher we climbed in our car. The boys were grabbing a quick nap as we traversed more than ten miles through the forested mountains. The only time the sun was not shining in my face was during the switchbacks as the curving road took us higher. I briefly wondered as I had many times before why it was called Rail Canyon there were not any railroad tracks near this desolate and at that time sparsely populated area of Stevens County, Washington.

I was exceeding the speed limit and had been for some time when I heard a voice audibly in my head “Stop.”

In my mind I asked incredulously, “stop”? We are late and I was not going to be later. Not late again! I kept speeding around another curve. At least the sun was out of my eyes for a bit. I continued driving. “Stop!" I heard it once more. This time I was more than a bit agitated but this time I was also bothered.

I stopped the car and realized that as I was rushing through the blinding sun, I was further up the road than I thought. I got out of the car and walked in front of the car, only to realized that I was perhaps a full car length from a precipice that would shortly take the car over the edge. The car would have gone off the road and down towards many, many trees before resting somewhere below.

I could not see the bottom. I turned around – realizing what our fate could have been if I had continued to ignore that “voice.” I begged forgiveness and physically shook as I got back in the car and drove carefully out of the mountain pass to TumTum and onwards to Spokane.

Thank you, Jesus, once again for saving our lives.