You're the Engineer, Who's Your Conductor?

YOU'RE THE ENGINEER, WHO'S YOUR CONDUCTOR?

First, I want to say I hope everyone had an enjoyable and safe holiday season.  I know I did.

“Keep your hand on the throttle and your eyes on the rail.”  Ever hear or read this statement?  Those of you that regularly receive my emails will recognize that I use this statement to close them.  Over the holidays, one of my Division members asked me if there is any significance to this statement or is it just some catchy phrase I’ve chosen to use.  Actually, there is great significance to the statement and that significance is in the way that I view my journey through life.  The statement is part of a song that likens our life journey to that of an engineer of a train running through the mountains, much like the Rockies that are near and dear to most of us in this region.

We’ve all faced storms in our lives.  Some big, some small.  One day you arrive at work only to discover that your position has been eliminated and now you’re jobless with a wife, three kids, a mortgage and two car payments.  Or how about lying in bed with your spouse, engaged in light hearted conversation, and out of the blue he/she says “I want a divorce!” Where’d that come from?  What if two weeks after finding out you’re going to have your first child, a doctor informs you/your spouse has terminal cancer with only 12 months to live?  Let’s face it, life does throw us curves, does it not?  And haven’t you been in a situation where going forward was a scary deal because you could not see the road ahead and where it would lead you?  Ever been dealt a problem that seemed so big it was like a mountain you were not sure you could climb? 

The song Life’s Railway to Heaven, a gospel song written by a Georgia Baptist preacher in 1890 and put to the tune of a Mormon hymn, tells of the many curves, fills and tunnels in life that will have great impact on our train if we do not handle them correctly.  We’ll have steep grades to climb and we’ll cross bridges that will present us with much strife. Obstructions, storms and wind and rain will work to ditch our train.  With all these obstacles working against us, the song tells us that we will make our journey from the cradle to the grave safely if we make Christ our conductor.  For me, I put my trust alone in Jesus and try not to falter or fail.  This requires me to keep my hand on the throttle and my eyes on the rail.

Life’s Railway to Heaven has been recorded by many artists.  Singers like Patsy Cline, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, the Oak Ridge Boys and the Statler Brothers.  Boxcar Willie’s version is my favorite, although none of the artists do all the verses.  I am providing a link (www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP73ha50V58) to a YouTube video of Boxcar Willie singing this song and if you choose to listen to it, I hope you will think about the words, put yourself in the engineer’s position and select a good conductor as you navigate the railway of your life.  As always…

Keep your hand on the throttle and your eyes on the rail.

Doug Whetstone

Assistant Callboard Editor