The Bus

 I dreamed I was riding in a bus careening down a forest road. It was late afternoon, the sun sat low on the horizon and the thick timber cast long shadows across the road. The alternating patches of light and shadow created an effect similar to that of a strobe light, mesmerizing, hypnotic. I watched, fascinated, until the patterns of light and shadow flew by at an alarming rate of speed.

I looked toward the front to see who the maniacal driver was. There was none. The seat was empty. I tried to go to the front, but I was unable to move into the aisle. Some unseen force held me back. All of my family was also riding the bus. I begged each of them to take the wheel, but they too were held in place.

“Dear Lord, save us!”

He answered, “I will – in time.”

Determined to trust Him, I turned back to the side window. We were moving so fast the trees were just a blur. I looked out the front window. The road ended abruptly at the edge of a steep cliff.

I begged God to save us.

He answered. “I will. In time.”

We were at the edge.

“Now would be a really, really good time!”

God patiently answered. “There is still time.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but never uttered a word. The bus plunged over the side and slid down the cliff face toward the rocky bottom. Dirt clods, rocks, grass and tree limbs flew past the window and I braced for the impact.

Nothing happened. The bus stopped. Its back wheels were caught on the limb of a gigantic Ponderosa Pine and we hung only a few feet from the ground. All we had to do was open the front door and step out.

I fell to my knees in thanks giving. Family and friends, too embarrassed to join me, melted into the gathering crowd one by one.

I understood I was to apply this lesson to all the issues in my life, but it was hard. I wanted to see someone in the driver’s seat.