Life likes to use the little things in the day to remind me of the big things I am missing. In this case, there was no catastrophe. Yes, I was on a ladder in the shop by myself. Yes, I knew better. Yes, I was foolish. The reminder came with a simple tremor. I was finishing the top of the wall, touching up here and there. As I finished a section, I would come down, move the ladder, and climb again to the top rung. I could have waited for a spotter; she was coming shortly. In my eagerness, I ignored the wisdom reminders I could hear and pressed on. It was blissful ignorance until the ladder moved ever so slightly. I had not set it correctly, adding to the risk that I was already assuming. A second tremor rippled through me. I climbed down. The finish could wait.
There are threads of safety that hold our lives together. It starts with the simple lesson that one needs to be careful because fire can be dangerous. One moves to the awareness that care is required when crossing the street. Somewhere along the way, one should never be on a tall ladder without a spotter. Some threads are embedded into the fibre of our being. Others, ladders in my case, often find themselves on the optional list.
Ladders exist in many different forms and manifestations. I like to think of life in black and white. Is it a risk if it has not been defined in clear terms? I know many risks are not fully described, yet I ignore the obvious. I have the grey hair that suggests I know better, even as I relive “the normal experience of children. Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God?” (Hebrews 12.8) I wish my answers were consistent with yes. My behaviour, past and present, suggests otherwise.
Being safe is a choice. The whisper in the shop was loud and clear. Be smart; try walking with Divinity and others as safety partners.
