Traveling over the Sierras can be lovely and beautiful and conversely treacherous depending on the time of the year.
We had traveled “over the hill” from Roseville (at the base of the Sierra foothills just East of Sacramento, California) to Reno easily at the beginning of Spring break.
But as we left to come home late in the afternoon, the weather changed, clouds rolled in, and as we neared the peak on the West side of the mountains, the fog began piling low and thick – like pea soup.
With few cars on the road, there weren’t many other cars to follow, then the fog engulfed us as we slowed and drove cautiously. Afraid to pull off the freeway for fear of not knowing where the shoulder began (or ended), and unable to see the lines on the road, we began to pray fervently.
I climbed in the back seat of our trusty mini-van with the kids to sing with them. We sang all the hymns we knew, then worship songs, then kids songs. We prayed out loud and proclaimed God’s power to help us.
It was terrifying.
We had no idea where we were going, and if we were going to make it without an accident.
At the moment we were just about to give up and try to pull over, the CHP SUV pulled out in front of us with their super-powerful fog lamps ablaze and emergency lights blinking.
My husband, myself, and our four kids let out a simultaneous cheer – utterly joyful that God had provided a savior in the form of the CHP officer. That officer led us all the way through the debilitating fog over the pass until we descended from underneath its heavy blanket to clear skies on the other side. The CHP vehicle pulled off the freeway, we assume to head back and lead more frightened drivers through the thick fog.
We prayed again out loud thanking God for sending help and leading us out of the darkness. We were so grateful not only for the help and safety the officer provided but for the testimony that had been impressed upon us and our children.
So often in life, we can’t see through the fog of our situation. We are stuck. Stuck in uncertainty, stuck in fear, stuck in that not-knowing, scary, waiting place.
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Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) says, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
We’ve told this story over and over again in our family – especially when one of our children is stuck in one of those uncomfortable, foggy places in their lives. We’ve been blessed with safety the majority of the time, but this particular time where we were so scared has become a strong metaphor and moment to reconnect with our God who loves us so much that he sent the CHP officer to rescue us from certain tragedy.
