my grandma's lesson was on highways, so here are a few of my journals on this lesson.
July 26, 2010
“The highway of the upright avoids evil; he who guards his way guards his life”. –Proverbs 16:17
I was anxious to start this chapter this morning because I knew it would go right along with what our discussion at the Warehouse last night.
We studied many examples about guarding heart and mind. The one that stood out to me the most was the story of Nehemiah. Many people were given the task of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem before him, but they never accomplished the task because they didn’t keep their shield up and sword in hand (Nehemiah 4: 19-23). Though this is just one of many examples, it shows so clearly how our destination can NOT be reached if we do not guard our way at ALL times.
Sometimes when I’m driving I get distracted. The road may seem boring at the time; honestly, I’d rather look at the cows in the fields than ride on to my destination. I’ve learned the hard way that if we take our eyes off the road, even for just a second, we can find ourselves in a ditch. Sometimes we can manage to regain control of the car before it’s too late, but sometimes we find ourselves flipping through the air only to land upside down, crashed into a tree. Not only can we crash, but we can take other people down with us. When I turn to look at the cows, surely everyone else in the car will look too. Then, nobody has his eyes on the road and when I crash into the tree, they could be crashing with me. When my way isn’t guarded I can hurt other people. Scary thought.
Today I pray that I can forget about the cows and avoid distractions all together. Like Nehemiah, I have a wall to build, and a highway to travel down. I know that this will require me to carry a big shield around, but luckily, I know just where to find one.
P.S.- Earlier tonight I was reminded that God provides us with STOP signs. Here we can stop and think while the traffic that could smash us to pieces passes by. Someone literally just held a small paper stop sign in my face that said “stop and think” and in that moment I was able to bring the car (my mind) to a hault and not gas straight into the raging traffic that walked into the door. Thank God that he planted signs (literally) to guard and guide the highway of the upright!
July 27, 2010
“I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You KNOW the way to the place where I am going”.
“Thomas said to him ‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the WAY the TRUTH and the LIFE. No one comes to the father, but through me”
John 14: 2-6
Even though sometimes we know the WAY that God is calling us, we worry that he won’t come through. We let those cows and other distractions take our eyes off of the road. Sometimes our flesh is so curious that it begins to trust in its OWN way, knowing the whole time it will lead us to the ditch.
But I love that the scripture says, “I will come back and TAKE you”. Why don’t we just let him take us down the path? Why do we convince ourselves that random detours will get us to our destination more quickly? This really opens my eyes to just how impatient and unfaithful I have been today. I felt like I was the only one on the highway, and it almost makes you want to mash the breaks.
But HE IS the way, so I am NOT on the journey alone. And I will surely not reach my destination and get to the father if I continue to create my own ways just so I can visit with the cows.
