Okay… so I admit it… I started watching some Dukes of
Hazzard reruns again! I had caught an
advertisement a month or so ago saying that the show was celebrating their 35th
anniversary so I thought… why not record a few episodes since the CMT channel was
going to rebroadcast the series. And
we’ve been laughing ever since. There
are so many parts of that show that are so totally ridiculous and far-fetched
that one can’t help but throw back their head and laugh throughout each
episode! Having lived through that era
makes it even that much more endearing.
Many of the younger stars on the show are around the same age as my wife
and I.
My thoughts returned to Hazzard County this morning as I
read a verse from the first chapter of the Gospel of John. In the 23rd verse John the Baptist
is recorded as responding to the Jewish religious leaders of the day in answer
to their questions about who he was by stating: “I am the voice of one who cries in the desert, level the way of the
Lord.” (Moffatt) The International
Standard Version puts it as: “prepare the
Lord’s highway.”
Most episodes of The Dukes of Hazzard begin with scenes of
the Duke boy’s car, the General Lee, racing along the roads and highways of
Hazzard County. The idea of a highway
that is level was seemingly never considered in the make believe locale of
Hazzard County, supposedly located in the southern state of Georgia, somewhat
near Atlanta.
Their roads are usually depicted as a little more than a
rough wagon trail complete with bumps and muddy puddles strewn with downed
trees, boulders and other such obstacles.
Nothing like the smooth and well-built Interstate Highway System whose idea
US President Dwight D. Eisenhower championed in the 1950’s.
The highlight of every show is the many chase scenes and
impossible jumps that the Duke boy’s and the law enforcement vehicles (who are usually chasing them) make as
they drive around or over the obstacles they encounter. I once read that in the course of the show’s
seven seasons, that they destroyed over 300 1969 Dodge Chargers. Toward the final years of the show the
producers switched to the filming of 1/8 scale miniatures for the jump scenes
in order to reduce costs and to rival the technology of the jumps being shown
in the new upstart series Knight Rider!
In telling of John the Baptist’s job description that was
originally prophesied in Isaiah 40:3, the Apostle John emphasizes his role in
making Jesus’s way straight or level. As
I considered that and (believe it or not)
thought about the roads in Hazzard County and the mayhem they caused, I understood
the point that we today are also being called to follow John the Baptist’s
example. We are not to be like Boss Hogg
who always attempted to stop Bo and Luke’s plans to help others by setting up
distractions, obstacles or road blocks in the path of the General Lee. Instead, we are called to walk and talk and
carry ourselves in such a way as to make a smooth highway for others to receive
Jesus’ salvation into their lives.
Remember, this salvation includes all the redemptive
processes that God, through Jesus, has provided for us who believe. As I’ve mentioned before, this includes
salvation from sin and its results in our personal lives and in the world
around us!
I cringe every time I observe the General Lee landing after
one of its jumps. Many times (as is normal in the filming of 80’s car
chase scenes) they don’t cut away quite fast enough and if you concentrate on
where the car is landing, you can see a fender crunch, an axel break or parts
flying off the car just before the angle changes and you see the boys laughing
in the car as they (supposedly) drive
away. In reality, you know that they
didn’t drive away from that scene until they switched cars!
Well, I don’t want to be one that causes another individual
to crunch, break something or lose their cool (or something worse) because of something I may have said or done
that caused them to reject Jesus and/or His help in a crises situation in their
lives! How about you? For me… I like a happy ending just like you
always see at the conclusion of a Dukes of Hazzard episode. And while I realize that this is not always
the way things turn out in real life, I have the satisfaction and ultimate
peace of mind in at least knowing that I did my best to be a good example of
Christ's love to others… whether they end up going His way or not.
Have a good day! Stay
in tune to His Word, and keep asking yourself… What am I expecting today?”
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