Bump!!!

BUMP.  That's what the teeny, tiny sign said about the upcoming bridge. 
At least it SEEMED teeny, tiny to me.   
Nonetheless there was a sign there.  However, I didn't see it and proceeded to re-enact a scene from "The Dukes of Hazzard" with my van!
Stuff flew everywhere as the Montana (now renamed the General Lee) went air born and then slammed into the pavement.  My ladder flopped off my roof rack, containers jumped off the shelves, cable boxes slid forward, and things I'd forgotten I had flew into places I didn't know existed in my van.  Oh, and the best part was the old girl bottomed out.  hmmm...not good.   I would've yelled "yeehaw" as I was going through the air if I wasn't so shocked and then mad. 
I don't think "Bump" quite does that spot in the road justice.  I think, "You'd Better Slow Down Or You'll Be Sorry!" would be much better.  Or maybe, "Keep Going At The Speed You Are If You Don't Like Your Vehicle".
Thankfully everything was fine and it seems the ol' Montana is still running at peak...er, well..."normal" performance.
After I checked everything and started heading down the road again (all while fuming a bit) it got me considering the "bumps" we experience in life...and whether or not we pay attention to the signs.  Yes, there are signs!
Let's face it, there are plenty of situations and circumstances in life that toss us around like a carton of cable ties!...just go with it...Yet we still wonder why we didn't see it coming.  I'll admit there are those times when we just get thrown for a loop, but I think those are pretty rare.  If we're really paying attention to what's going on around us we usually aren't too surprised and we end up being better prepared to deal with whatever comes along.

In the Bible, in Matthew 16:3, Yeshua (Jesus) called the Pharisees hypocrites because they sought after a sign from Him to prove He was who He said He was.  He said they could tell what the weather would be like that day but they couldn't discern the signs of the times.  In other words, they could almost predict the nearly unpredictable but they could NOT see the completely obvious!  The fact that the living Word of God - Yeshua the Messiah - stood right there, talked with them, telling them the truth, and yet they didn't get it!  Why?  Because they held their own beliefs at or above the things of God.  Their own word was as good as God's, in their version, whether they realized it or not.  How do I know this?  Because in verse 12 Messiah said that their "doctrine" or teaching was leaven...in other words it was sin.  Their teaching was contrary to God's Torah which Yeshua constantly challenged them on.  They added to it or took from it, which He says specifically not to do.  When we add to or take from His Word we open the door for the devil and our own flesh to deceive us into thinking we understand more than we actually do. That's a dangerous road to walk down.

If we choose to rely on Yahweh and His truth/word then we can rest assured we will have the direction we need for this life...and we'll be able to slow down and deal with those "bumps" along the way.