Traffic Mirrors

“’For I know the plans I have for you. ‘declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”                        Jeremiah 29:11

The urban sprawl of Tokyo has grown slowly over the centuries on top of an ancient network of roads, hilly terrain and even encompasses over a hundred river and canal arteries. Many of Tokyo’s streets were originally little more than footpaths and presently bear more resemblance to a wide sidewalk or an alley rather than a conventional thoroughfare. These minor roads snake through residential areas and many of them are reduced to a single lane, allowing passage for only one car at a time. On top of this, they are generally fraught with numerous curves, severely limiting vision of what lies ahead. This makes navigation quite challenging and even dangerous at times as drivers can’t anticipate oncoming cars, bicyclists and pedestrians.

Because of these difficult conditions, Japanese traffic engineers have developed and implemented an ingenious, yet simple device to help facilitate safety. It is called a “kābu mirā “(カーブミラー), which is basically a large convex (curved) mirror mounted at the top of a pole. These special mirrors enable drivers to literally see around the blind corner or sharp bends in the road to determine if it is safe to proceed. We relied on these mirrors daily when bicycling or driving to the office from our home and I’m sure they prevented countless accidents for us and many others.

Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of such mirrors to help us navigate the inevitable unknowns of life. There are no kābu mirā that reveal the coming of major health problems, employment setbacks, relationship breakdowns, financial challenges or natural disasters such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, our lives often seem to be unpredictable, chaotic and without purpose as we feel victimized by one crisis after another.

But this is not what the Bible teaches. The God who created life is depicted time and time again as the same God who knows, sustains and directs our lives and the affairs of this world (Psalm 139:1-18). God reassures His own people of this truth while they were living in exile in a foreign land as a result of their disobedience. “’For I know the plans I have for you. ‘declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”  This verse is not a promise that all their problems will immediately disappear, but rather, an offering of hope in the midst of despair. That hope is not placed in the possibility of coveted changed circumstances, but instead, in the very person of God. A God who loves us. A God who will do what is best for us. A God who reigns above the forces of evil and calamities that sometimes seem to dominate this world.

God has a plan for the nations and He has a plan for us. That plan is good. But saints of old were only provided glimpses and hints of how those plans would unfold. Like us, they could not see beyond the curve in the road, so they just continued to drive forward in faith. Fears of turmoil, dire consequences and impending economic collapse currently dominate the news cycles and social media, but as people of faith, our well-being and future are not dependent on the affairs of this world. Therefore, we would do well to emulate the Psalmist and pray in this way: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24) If God is visible in your kābu mirā, that is all you need.