Recently a California delivery truck spilled 150,000 tomatoes across Interstate 80. To help us ketchup on this juicy story, news crews reported that the truck hit a central divider spilling its cargo. One car got stuck in the mess, causing a chain reaction of crashes involving four vehicles. Is this how they make pizza sauce now?
I'd love to report that a truck came right behind hauling hot peppers, cilantro and onions, but it's not true. I'm told no one was seriously injured. It took six hours to clean up the mess. And no tomato was left be-Heinz.
Well, those in the know say there are several keys to safe driving. Slow down. Stay focused. Obey the signs. Don't tailgate. And leave your phone alone.
The largest multi-car accident in U.S. history occurred a few hours south of the tomato incident site when a semi-truck crashed into the center divider causing an enormous chain reaction involving an astounding 216 vehicles. No deaths were reported, but 41 people were injured.
The cause? A morning fog covered the freeway. One police officer said, "Visibility was down to about a hundred feet or less." People drove blindly forward, unaware of the dangers that lay ahead.
It seems to me that there's an abundance of fog on the road we're traveling these days. Have we ever had more bad advice? Has any generation plunged recklessly forward at faster speeds without considering the consequences, unaware of the dangers, unwilling to seek wisdom from those who have traveled this way before?
Throughout history, wise proverbs have been compiled to help us avoid disaster, to guide us on straight paths. Of course, some proverbs are just plain silly. "He who runs behind car gets exhausted." "He who keep feet firmly on ground has trouble putting on pants."
But wise proverbs are instructive. "A penny saved is a penny earned." "A clear conscience is a good pillow." And the wise advice my godly mother once gave me: "You cannot get to the top by sitting on your bottom."
Far wiser are the proverbs of King Solomon. And they have never been more timely or appropriate. This morning, after hearing of the great tomato sloshing, I read Proverbs 14. You'll see why certain words popped out at me.
"The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps. . . . There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. . . The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception. . . . Whoever fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge. . . . Do not those who plot evil go astray? But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness. . . . The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death."
As surely as road signs exist for our protection, the book of Proverbs exists that we might flourish. We will do that today, as we walk with God.
And, if you're wondering what they did with all those tomatoes, well, here's how you fix a broken tomato. You use tomato paste.
Phil Callaway is the author of Laugh Like a Kid Again (Harvest House) and host of Laugh Again radio. Visit him at philcallaway.com.
