theRoad

As soon as school was out, I headed up to the Hill Country to spend Thanksgiving with my family. First order on the agenda was the Burnet High School playoff game where my brother was coaching. I knew I wouldn't get there to see the whole game, but my goal was to get there by halftime. I'd printed a map of the Burnet school district and found the stadium on it, so I was armed and ready to go.

Traffic wasn't too bad getting out of Sugar Land, so I was plugging along pretty well and had made it to Bastrop when my dad called. He started giving me directions for an alternate route into Burnet. I had planned to take the route I was familiar with, which would take me along the south of Austin by the airport and then on out to where I could catch the road through Marble Falls. The route Dad was proposing sounded confusing with lots of turns and toll roads.

As I neared Austin, I had pretty much decided to stick to my plan of the familiar route when all of a sudden traffic stopped. Up ahead there was a wreck complete with flashy lights and rubber neckers, and combined with the ever-present construction, we were almost at a standstill. Up about 100 yards away, I could see the road that Dad had suggested as my alternate. I decided to go for it, even though I wasn't sure what to expect. It turned out to be a great plan. The toll road was mostly clear and my Houston toll tag worked at all the toll points...I didn't even have to slow down and wait for an arm to raise! It was dark, but the signs were all really well-lit and I was able to call Dad on the cell phone and verify that I was on the right track. Even so, there were a couple of times I second-guessed my instructions and had to call back for help. All in all, the alternate route was a much better choice than the old familiar and I only made two wrong turns before arriving at the game...right at halftime!

It's funny how we take the familiar routes in life because we're scared of the dark and unknown roads, not realizing that they may end up being better choices. When our Heavenly Father calls and gives us an alternate route, we need to be ready to strike out into the darkness and trust His guidance. Sure, sometimes we'll second-guess our intructions, misread a sign or somehow manage to take a detour, but our Father is ready to get us back on track when we do.

Lately I've noticed that my road of life has a lot of speed bumps. I think God has installed those purposely because I tend to get going too fast and I forget to stop and talk to Him about things. God wants us to take this journey of life with Him, enjoy the ride. Sometimes it's not so fun, like when the storms come, or at night, when things are all dark and you can't really see what's surrounding you. But, that's the cool part about it-God is always there with you, ready to redirect you and keep you on the right road.

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and he will direct your paths."

Isaiah 30:21 "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

Psalm 25:4 "Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths;"