Wrong Way Grandma!

Picture this. I’m riding shotgun in the car with my Grandma. We had just finished running errands at a store. Pulling out of the parking lot, my Grandma turns left down the road. As we are driving along, I looked out the window and that’s when I saw the sign: “One Way.”

Puzzled, I looked at the sign, looked where we were heading, and looked back at the sign. That’s when I came to the frightening realization… IT WAS POINTING THE OTHER DIRECTION!

I look at my Grandma, who was still oblivious to the danger we were in, and I yell, “Grandma! We are going the wrong way!” But she just looks at me, “Huh? What did you say?”

I yell again, “WE ARE GOING THE WRONG WAY!” As I am yelling, I look up and see a car speeding straight at us! I point and scream, “CAR!”

Finally, Grandma realizes why I was freaking out. In action-film fashion, she cranks the wheel hard right, and romps the car up over the curb onto the sidewalk. Slamming on the breaks, we screech to a halt. The other car drives past laying on its horn. The driver kindly gives us a one finger wave while pointing us in the proper direction.

Heart pounding out of my chest and speechless, I look at my Grandma. All she says is, “Oops.”

I am thinking, “OOPS! You almost got us both killed Grandma! All you say is ‘oops!’” So Grandma backs up the car, turns us around, and we head back down the street in the right direction.

I learned two very important things that day:

1. Never ride in the car with grandma.
2. Sometimes you can be heading the wrong way and not realize it.

Sadly, most people are heading the wrong way. We are caught up building their own kingdoms. We pursue our selfish desires. We seek to glorify ourselves, not God. Tragically, many are headed for destruction and don’t even know it.

This is why Jesus teaches:

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”
– Matthew 7:13-14

The road to Heaven is a one-way street. You have to enter the narrow gate. Not many people are fully committed to following Jesus. You may have to fight against what everyone else does. You may have to go against your family and friends. But it is worth it!

Whatever it takes, make sure you are heading in the right direction. The stakes are too high to spend your whole life heading the wrong way only to realize it after it’s too late.

And for those of us who have found the right direction in Jesus, it is our moral obligation to help others find the right way. This isn’t a suggestion. We are literally talking about the difference between life and death – Heaven and Hell.

Why is it so easy to go the wrong way?