An Extreme Sport

Hola !  Greetings from Guatemala!

At my age and in my physical condition, I never thought I would master an “extreme sport.”  But I think I have!  You see, in Guatemala driving might be considered an extreme sport.

Certainly, there is a technique to making a three-lane highway in downtown Guatemala City into a four-lane highway at rush hour.  Dodging the colorfully painted old U.S. school buses, or as gringos call them “chicken buses,” as they rush towards you down a winding mountain road takes some “extreme” skills.  Basically, realizing that there are no rules while driving in Guatemala could perhaps put it into the extreme sport category.

I do not like driving at night here.  There are two reasons.  Reason one is that it is not safe.  You never know what you may come up on at night.  There is always a chance you find something laying across the road with someone waiting to rob you.  Reason two is that Guatemalan’s love to drive with their bright lights on at night.  It is blinding, at least to my eyes which have fairly poor vision at night anyway.  It was a very puzzling thing for me the first few months I was here.

I asked my friend Hector about it one day.  “Hector,” I said, “why do Guatemalans always drive around at night with their bright lights on? It is so bright that it is almost blinding.”

“That is exactly the point,” he said.  “They drive with their bright lights on so that they cannot be missed.  They want you to see them.”

When he said that, the words of Jesus immediately came to my mind.

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” [Matthew 5:14-16]

Then I prayed this extreme and challenging prayer:  Loving God, lead me to live in the light of Jesus Christ and to shine your light in the world. Amen.

In the days and months ahead, let the light of Jesus shine through you to hurting world.  Share God’s love in an extreme way so “that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”