Road Trips & Back Roads
“If we
know exactly where we're going, exactly how to get there, and exactly what
we'll see along the way, we won't learn anything.” ― M. Scott Peck
I took a road trip this
weekend. One of the things I love to do
on a road trip is watch the scenery go by and I enjoy taking the back roads
because I think too many times I spend so much time in traffic that it is a joy
to just ride and anticipate what is around the next corner.
So this weekend I traveled
to Austin. So I drove down to Austin on
I-35. For those of you who never go to
Austin or maybe have never heard of it, there has been construction on that
highway for the past 35 years. Every
town I passed through was under construction.
The thing is it wasn’t just crews repairing potholes. They are building over passes and adding
lanes, removing lanes and all around making a mess of things. I went through
Hillsboro, Waco, Temple, Belton, Georgetown, Round Rock and Pflugerville and
every one of those towns was under construction.
So on my return trip to
Dallas I decided to take the back roads instead. Interesting things happen on the back
roads. The land outside of Austin is
hilly and there are even what I would call small mountains. If you are from the real mountains you would
call them speed bumps, but I live in the flatlands of Texas so these were
mountains to me.
I am driving along
watching the scenery and I drive up to one of these mountains where they have
cut the road right through it. There are
steep inclines on either side of the road and I see something moving to the
right of the road. I glanced over and
there is a deer running down the side of the hill at a good clip. By the way I forgot to tell you that I bought
a new car last week, so I am watching this deer run down the side of this hill
toward the road headed for my new car.
This is where I started talking and praying to myself. Don’t do it!
Don’t do it! I thought, Lord don’t let that deer run in
front of my brand new car. The
interesting thing was the deer stopped at the side of the road and looked
straight at me. It was like we made a
connection.
I’ve never been a deer in
headlights but I know what one looks like now.
I was so close to him that I could see his muscles quivering like I
scared him as much as he scared me and he was considering running in front of
me. He actually stood there as I passed
by. I was so thankful that he didn’t run
in front of me and become my new car hood ornament that I thanked God for His
many blessings.
I later almost hit a
buzzard in the middle of the road eating lunch and I also barely missed a
chicken. About now I know you are
thinking, “Man I want to take a road trip with her. She sees all the good stuff.”
What I learned on this
road trip was that God was with me all the way.
We are on the road trip of a lifetime to an eternal place. Sometimes when we take the road less
traveled, the stillness and peace of the empty road will often reveal more
about God than taking the road everyone travels. If you
are on the road with everyone, get off and take the road less traveled. You will be amazed at what God will reveal to
you.
Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I saw You yesterday throughout my trip home.
The emptiness of the road and nature revealed a picture of You. Appreciating what You created is part of our
journey home. If I remember that everything that happens to me
is designed for my spiritual growth, I will appreciate everything that happens
in my life. We are on the road trip of a
lifetime. How and where we navigate that
trip will make the difference in our eternal life.
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