Months ago, I noticed checking on the tires of my truck, but I ignored it. It wasn’t that bad! They still had good tread on them, and besides, I didn’t usually drive far, only to local addresses for side and weekend jobs, or to doctors appointments. I didn’t drive at high speeds either, at least, not often. If I did, it was just a short jaunt on the interstate, not far enough to get the tries hot. So, I put it off, thinking I would be okay. The real reason I didn’t do it was that I wasn’t ready to spend over $1000 to replace them.
That all changed on Monday. We drove to South Carolina to visit our oldest son and his family. They were getting ready to move to the Southwest, and we knew it would easier and closer to see our grandchildren while they were on the eastern seaboard than to wait until they settled down somewhere close to where the sun sets on the continual USA.
We took the pickup. It had plenty of room for my long legs. I liked that! I believed it was in good mechanical condition but forgot about the possibility that the tires were sun-rotted beyond safe. I forgot until we were three hours into our trip, cruising through Georgia at 70 miles an hour on an inside lane. Suddenly, the driver-side rear tire exploded, the road noise changed its tune and pitch, and the backend of the truck pulled to one side. It was a rude jolt to my memory. I pulled the steering wheel to correct the wayward wandering of the rear wheels. In the rearview mirror, I saw large chunks of rubber bouncing on the roadway behind us. I knew a major failure happened to a tire I should have changed out months before.
Traffic was light and I was able to maneuver across lanes and get the truck safely onto the shoulder of the highway. Even the dancing chunks of tire missed all cars following us. I got out and inspected the damage. It had burst like a balloon, all ragged and torn. All the thread was gone, and the smooth sidewalls had been stripped away leaving only rough shredded rubber. Steel belts and long strands of rubber hung from the tire and from the structure of the truck. The tire was destroyed, but we were safe. God was good!
We came through unscathed, however, there were consequences. We had to spend over two hours waiting for a tow truck. Our pickup was pulled onto the back of a tow truck and carried to the nearest Discount Tire Store. On that leg of our journey, we got the best milage of the trip– 51 miles to 0 gallons! We had to pay to spend the night in a motel while we waited for our new tires to be shipped to the store. That cost us money and less time with the grandchildren. The blowout destroyed the finder flare on the wheel well. The flares were an addition to the truck and were on it when I bought it. I will have to replace all of them because they come in sets of four. Again, more expense for something that could have been avoided had I been willing to spend the money months ago for new tires. In the end, I was forced to spend it anyway, to keep us and the roadway safe!
In the road of life, there are many hazards:
2Corinthians 6:2 Now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation. So many want to sow their wild oats first and enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. After that, they will get right with their creator, they say. So, the decision is put off for a future date, but often the opportunity is snuffed out by a heart attack, an overdose, or a wreck on the roadway. (Maybe caused by someone who didn’t change their dry-rotted tires!) None of us know what will happen tomorrow. Today is the day to accept God’s gift of salvation!
Hebrews 3:15 Today if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts. Today is the day to listen to the voice of God as revealed in His word, or through His Spirit for those of us who are believers. Jonah hardened his heart and even tried to run from the command of God. His disobedience only got him deeper into a whale of a mess. Don’t be like Jonah!
James 4:17 Therefore, to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. Don’t put off doing good! Love people, especially family! Forgive people for the real and perceived wrongs they commit. Feeling like we have been sinned against is no excuse for a pity party or letting bitterness grow in our hearts. The roots of resentment in our lives don’t hurt the other person, but they strangle the life out of us! In the end, we loose!
The list can go on and on, but this is enough to give you the idea. Our blowout on I-95 north only had mild consequences for us this time. It could have been different with a deadly aftermath, but again, God protected us from the worst. We survived and we have new tires on the truck. In life, many consequences for the actions we do are not only deadly, they are eternal! Don’t wait!
Writings By Phil 
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