Traction

Except for a couple of area rugs, we have wood flooring throughout our house. We like the way it looks so natural. It seems easier to keep clean and matches our taste in furniture. The only thing it’s not good for is chasing cats, especially if you’re a 60 lb. Golden Retriever chasing a 10 lb. calico.

Sophie largely wins the war with Sam by ignoring him. Something instinctive tells her that pests tend to go away when they realize they can’t control you through manipulative irritation. Sophie can sit mere inches from Sam and win the snout-to-snout battle by just letting him wear himself out barking. A soft answer may turn away wrath but no answer at all drives the crazy-makers nuts.

Now and then, however, Sam gives chase and Sophie gives in, just for the fun of it, I guess. In a split-second, she kicks in the after burners and, at the last second, takes a hard left from the hallway into the kitchen. Sam, going full speed right behind her, locks down on the brakes to make the turn with her only to discover that his paws get no traction at all on the wood floor. His four legs go their own separate direction as Sam’s bellies out on the floor, like the overweight kid in 6th grade who did gut-busters off the high dive at the public swimming pool just to get attention. Before Sam’s had time to figure out what’s happened to him, much less gain control, Sophie’s high-tailed it to a place of safety where even we can’t find her.

I’m guessing that if Sam had his way, he’d prefer carpet to wood flooring. As hard as it is to keep carpet clean, there’s something to be said for being able to get traction.

Occasionally, we wish others smooth sailing. It’s a fitting metaphor if you’re going to sea. On dry land, smooth sailing may not be all it’s cracked up to be. If you can’t get traction, what happens when you need to apply the breaks or make a quick turn in another direction?

Rough times in the journey sure make it hard on that part of our personalities obsessed with high maintenance. It’s hard to keep the rough places clean and neat, spill-free. We tend to resent it when rough spots make the road hard, even cursing the speed bumps of difficulty and confusion. On the other hand, when things are roughest, we tend to pray more, seek the guidance of scripture and others God has put in our lives just for those times we need an extra dose of humility and wisdom at the same time. It’s when we hit the rough spots that our souls and our faith are getting more traction than they ever do when the sailing, or running, is smooth, don’t you think?

I may not like where I am at any given moment. But, as long as I’ve got traction so I can make a critical turn or just stop for a while, then maybe, just maybe, I’ll look back on all of it someday and, from the vantage point of holy retrospect, thank God for the rough spots. As jarring as they can be, the rough spots where I put down my feet have given me soul-traction I wouldn’t have any other way.