Marsha Jordan
Author of Hugs, Hope, and Peanut Butter
Web Site:
www.hugsandhope.org/mj.htm
Email:
hugsandhope@gmail.com
The Road
of Life
Have you noticed that vacations rarely go the way
you planned? Here’s a typical scenario: Mom and dad
outline a fun and interesting trip for the family.
They excitedly pack the Volkswagon and pull out of
the driveway with great expectations. Then five
miles down the road, a crazy driver cuts dad off in
traffic, mom spills her Doctor Pepper in her lap, an
albatross splatters a five gallon bucket of poop on
the windshield, and somebody in the backseat spews
chunks on the carpet, seat, and little sister. These
are telltale signs that the trip isn’t going to be
what you’d anticipated.
When I flew across the country last year, I lost
my driver’s license in the airport. For the safety
of other passengers, it’s essential that everyone
have a photo ID. I didn’t have one. Apparently I
looked like a terrorist, so the stewardess wouldn’t
let me on the plane. Security people were called to
the scene and they pondered what to do with me. They
finally decided to allow me on, if I passed a
thorough body and luggage search.
When I say "thorough," that’s just what I mean. I
not only had to take everything out of my suitcase
(including my dirty underwear) and then try to
squeeze it back in again; but I had to take off my
shoes and socks and even unzip my pants and roll
down the elastic of my underwear. These were not
things I’d planned as part of the trip -- especially
not in front of a hundred other passengers. What a
humiliating predicament. Remember this story when
you travel – and remember your mother’s admonition
to always wear clean undies when you leave the
house. You never know who might see them.
Another trip that didn’t go according to plans
was a short, three hour outing with my brother and
sister (kind of like the three hour trip of the SS
Minnow on Gilligan’s Island). Our car broke
down and we had to spend a day and a night in a
motel. This might not have been too bad if we’d had
enough money to get separate rooms or if we’d
brought luggage with us. We had no change of clothes
or even a toothbrush (ewww)! The three of us slept
in one room and one of us -- I won’t mention any
names -- snored loudly all night, keeping the other
two awake.
My sister considered wrapping the telephone cord
around my neck to strangle me as I slept, while my
brother searched the dresser drawers just in case a
previous occupant may have left a roll of duct tape.
When they threatened to perform a tracheotomy on me,
I decided to stay awake and sit up in the chair the
rest of the night. That wasn’t how any of us had
expected the trip to go.
Mishaps, break downs, accidents, illnesses,
injuries, unexpected side trips. That’s a picture of
our journey through life. Trouble is around every
corner. Believers know there’s a great destination
for us at the end of the road, but the trip can be
horrendous.
When I became a Christian, I thought I had it
made and the trip would be an easy one. Life was
good and it would only get better. I had not heard
of life mapping at that time; but if I had mapped
out my life back then, the map would have been a
straight line shooting right up to heaven with no
bumps and curves.
Boy, was I misinformed! It took me about forty
eight hours to discover that my expectations were
unrealistic and it wasn’t going to be such easy
sailing after all.
Nobody’s life is a bowl of apricots. In fact, it
can often be more like the pits, even for
Christians. Life doesn’t go smoothly because you’re
saved. You still have to maneuver the potholes.
The Bible says the truth will set you free. When
you accept the truth that life ain’t fair, things
get somewhat easier because you’re not stunned by
the detours.
The road of life is sometimes an arduous crawl
uphill and sometimes you’re speeding downhill,
awaiting the crash. Think of the wilderness
wanderings of the Israelite people. They were all
over the place during their 40 years in the dessert.
When they complained, Moses told them, "Do not fear,
stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He
will accomplish for you. The Lord will fight for you
while you keep silent."
I have a hard time with that last part about
keeping silent. I’m not the silent type. I’m more
like the nagging, cranky, loudmouth, bossy type.
(But after all, I AM the smartest woman I know and
others need to benefit from my wisdom, don’t they?)
I’m a master complainer. I don’t need to look
very hard to find something to whine about. When the
Israelites complained, it was about things like not
enough water and not enough food. I may not complain
about those same things, but my whining springs from
the same sort of attitude. I forget that God is not
only great and powerful and loving and merciful, but
that’s He’s WITH me. My memory is nonexistent, but
my forgetter works great, so I need to be reminded
quite often that I’m not alone on this journey.
I’m glad God is my ever present navigator,
because I couldn’t handle this trip over life’s
bumpy roads on my own.
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article is copyrighted by the author. All Rights Reserved.
No part of this article may be reprinted without
permission of the author.
©Copyright 2007
