The Road We Travel

 The Road We Travel

Most everyday we encounter roadways.  Not really given much thought to the importance of the intentional painted markings upon them to help guide us to our destination.  These are placed strategically...purposefully to direct us, to keep us protected allowing us to safely reach our designated place.  Not all roadways are well maintained and a comfort to travel on.  Others are disheveled...breaking apart with worn out, weathered markings upon them.  Some are just plan dry and barren dirt paths that stir up a whole mess causing difficulty in navigating ourselves.  While others are riddled with a slew of uneven, uncomfortable pebbles and rocks that occasional toss up a loose stone pinging our windshield causing alarm!

How true is this of our own personal walk in life?  I am reminded that we ourselves in our spiritual journey travel each of these types of roads in life.  It is vitally important for us to encounter each one in order to strengthen our faith and allow God to grow us in areas that we may tend to put on cruise control. 

 God lays before us a path that He desires for us to follow. "The very steps we take come from God; otherwise how would we know where we're going?"  Proverbs 20:24  The white line in this picture represents that path...solid, bright, even, and pleasant.  You may notice that this line is placed strategically where we have plenty of room to walk comfortably & safely between a wide open road and a slight slope leading off course.  Following this marked path for us is very important because we can encounter unpleasantries on either side of us.  God is faithful and merciful.  If we choose to go off course wandering in either direction...onto the open road or off the road completely, He is with us. "I will walk with you--I will be your God, and you will be my people..." Leviticus 26:12 (CEVU).  The flagged yellow lines in the middle act as a warning to grasp our attention...sometimes these lines are subtle only to appear periodically but repetitively, while other times they are solid, wide and bold.  We must heed to these warnings that God puts before us, "By your teachings, Lord, I am warned; by obeying them I am greatly rewarded." Psalm 19:11 (CEVU) 

The times that we choose to disregard the warnings set before us to protect us is when we take our focus off of God.  We see a path that appears to be more enticing.  We become concerned with the direction God's path is taking us and begin to focus on unrealistic things that lead us astray such as double mindedness (living for self & God); excessive reasoning to make us feel better that it's alright to go in the direction we have choose to follow; complicating simple issues (making a mountain out of a mole hill); having anger, jealousy, envy, doubt, discontentment and negativity.  All these things lead us astray and cause us to head in a direction that is hard, uncomfortable, unpleasant, painful, dark and scary.  But not all is lost even though we feel very much lost, perhaps frightened and in pain. The world wants us to use our feelings to make decisions in life...making choices in which direction to follow based upon wavering, inconsistent, unreliable feelings.   Problems in life are inevitable, but living overwhelmed and misguided is optional!  Choose wisely based on Truth...God's Truth.  When we walk in difficult places, God sends the strength and nourishment to equip us to face what comes our way, not all at once, but day by day until we are walking His path set before us confidently and assuredly.

 God gives us promises in His Word that we can cling to as He fulfills those promises in our lives through trials.  One promise that I cling to in such times is Romans 5:1-6 (MSG), "By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us--set us right with Him, make us fit for Him--we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus.  And that's not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that He has already thrown open His door to us: We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand--out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.  There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next.  In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged.  Quite the contrary--we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit.  Christ arrives right on time to make this happen.  He didn't, and doesn't, wait for us to get ready..." 

WHEW!!

Another promise is found in Matthew 11:28 (NIV), "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Simplistically all I need to do in my trying times is to go to Christ!  Should be easy enough...but I know that there is a battle going on for navigational control and it is MYSELF...my flesh. "For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." Romans 8:13 (ESV)  This encourages me to choice wisely who I allow to lead in my navigations. 

Decide to not fix your focus on the terrible circumstances in life.  Shift your attention on God.  Plant your feet in God's Word.  Psalm 119:66 says,  "Lord God, teach me knowledge and good judgement, for I believe in Your commands."   In times you feel too weak to move forward with another step--then take a baby step in just standing---in Him--by His Strength; if you feel too weak to stand, then kneel and cry out to your Heavenly Father who will answer your cry!  Trust in Him to do for you, to love you right where you are, to embrace you comforting you in His tenderly loving arms. 

Trust is believing before seeing...FAITH!  God has called us to live by faith, not by sight.  Even though we don't always understand the road we are having to travel, we don't have to let the circumstances overwhelm us.  Choosing to trust God helps restore a sense of hope and stability in our lives allowing us to take one step at a time.  Choose to look to God--His Brilliance--to be a guiding light in the road we travel.  "Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass."
 Psalm 37:5 (AMP) 

Whatever road we may find ourselves on, we can rest assured that we are never left alone and we need not travel the road solo. We have a good Shepard who wants to give us an abundant life.  According to Psalm 139 we can be sure of these truths...

God Knows ME...God Protects ME...God Made Me...and God Values Me.

You are a beautiful story in His story.  And your story is ongoing as you travel the many types of adventurous roads in life.  Let faith be your eyes as you take each new step toward Christ in your journey.

Take care and be blessed,

Christy Krezman
Rosette Ministry