So I had the chance to go visit family last week in Austin, TX. It was great seeing them again, my grandparents, my aunts and uncles my cousins, and one day I was asked to drop two of my cousins off at church (for AWANA!). So we hopped in the car and made our way through the busy streets, with my cousin giving directions for each street and turn, making sure we got there safely, without getting lost. Well, we arrived fine after a little bit, I dropped them off, and headed back to the highway to make my way home.
Except… I decided to not go home right away. You see, I realized that now that the kids were taken care of, and the rest of the family was occupied at the house so they wouldn’t be waiting on me for anything, here was a chance for me to have a great time doing one of the things I love best: exploring.
And so I did. I took a random exit, drove on that street for a while, running parallel to the highway until I found another large road with a name that sounded somewhat familiar, and I turned off on that one. Then I drove farther, and came to another big road and I turned again, and continued to do this for a while, just taking in the sights of Austin and enjoying the adventure. When I looked at the clock and realized it had already been an hour since I left, I figured I had better get home, so a couple of more turns, and I went down the back way of the road I left the house on, until at last I was home from my adventure.
Now, Austin is a city of over 680,000 people, full of all kinds of streets going every which way, and I’ve never driven in it before, but that didn’t bother me at all. You see, I’ve driven in big cities enough that I have learned one sure-fire way to never worry about finding my way home.
Never lose the highway.
You see, no matter how many streets I took, or how much I drove, I made sure that I always came back around in sight of the highway, because no matter where the other roads may lead, I KNOW, that one will lead me home. I may not always be able to see it, but I keep it in my minds eye, making sure I can get back to that highway, because I KNOW, that one will lead me home.
You know, we have so many decisions in life, so many choices to make, that sometimes it gets overwhelming. I don’t know about you, but one of my most frequent prayers is, “God, could you give me some specifics about what to do here?” Now, a lot of the time, He is so gracious to do just that, to point me exactly where He wants me to go. But you know, it’s not like that all the time. Sometimes I don’t feel any specific direction at all, and in times like that it’s easy to let doubt seep in, and to get discouraged. But the more and more I grow to know my Savior, the more I realize that while I may not always know whether to turn right or left, go straight or turn back, I don’t have to worry about getting lost, as long as I keep my eyes on Him, because HE is the Way, and I KNOW, that one, will lead me home.
Phillip Gonzales
9/16/2007
