Life is often like a railroad

By Don Davis
For the Kannapolis Citizen
One of my dearest memories of growing up in Bennettsville, S.C., was the old B&C Railroad. Many kids may have not been interested in railroads, but when I was growing up, this railroad was a part of my daily life.
We only lived a house away from the tracks, and I would normally see or hear it going out every morning and coming back in the evening.
I guess the words to the “Wreck of the Old Ninety Seven” are appropriate when the writer wrote, “this is not 38, but he old 97.” I would say, it was neither of these great trains, it was merely the “The Old B&C (Bennettsville and Cheraw) Railroad.”
Do you remember singing these words as a child, “Down at the station early in the morning see all the puff-a-bellies all in a row?”
When we sang it in school, my mind would take me to the small B&C Railroad yard that I had been to many times.  There was one engine running at a time. The older stayed in the yard where we played on weekends. We would imagine it stuffed full of coal running down the track and the whistle going full blast.
I can still recall the old ramshackle steam engine going out in the morning. By the time I was old enough to be interested, it had lost its luster and most of its daily mission. Nonetheless, this train had a unique personality. I remember it struggling down that narrow, crooked track. At times it seemed like it was off the track as much as it was running.
Life is much the same as the B&C Railroad used to be. Though I am retired now, I can remember getting up early in the morning and heading off to the office. Most of my working life was in management, dealing with people and assisting them as they did their jobs in providing computer support at Air Force bases and later the companies I worked.
Yes, life was a struggle, but I knew I was not alone. Yes, God had given me good people, but knowing he would never let me face any obstacle alone gave me determination to go on with a peace I cannot explain.
In Isaiah 40:31 we find, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength: they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.”
When we are confident Christ is with us, we can be like the “Little Engine That Could.” Rather than say, “We think we can,” we can say, “We know we can for Jesus is with us.”
Christians, don’t ever go to work without Jesus. You need him there more than any other place.
Life is such that people also jump the track, just like that old train, but those who have Jesus can be assured, Jesus will lift us up, just as a train crew, and put us back on track with a push to restart us in the right direction.
Paul wrote in Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
Don Davis is a local pastor. He writes an occasional religion column for the Kannapolis Citizen. If you are interested in submitting a faith column, e-mail jmorris@kannapoliscitizen.com.�