Back To The Main Highway

    When I was young, my mom and I occasionally took road trips.  Dad was away at sea, and Mom was not yet a working mom.  We drove a huge, black 1957-8 Desoto.  We always tried to keep to the main roads, especially in east Texas where we lived, because it would be awful to get stuck in the red clay mud if it rained.  Once in a while, we would spot a town we thought looked interesting.  So, we would get off the main road and meander around town and have dinner there.  We always kept in mind our destination, however, and eventually got back on the main road and continued on.

    This is an excellent analogy of my faith journey.  The main highway of my entire life has been Christianity.  Where I live now, there are two main interstate highways, I-35 and I-70.  In my analogy, these highways represent protestant Christianity and catholic Christianity.  So, I have switched highways.  I still take little side trips, however.  Compared to the big journey, they are mere jaunts.  I have never lost sight of my destination.

    I have been on a jaunt recently through a town called "New Age".  While some of my friends have applauded my adventure, other friends have expressed concern, and some have actually walked away from our friendship.  For those who have walked away, I don't begrudge them.  I am familiar with that fear of being deceived.  We all have our journey and who am I to say "come join me on this road" when I don't know how long I'll be on that road. Not everyone drives my kind of "vehicle", if you'll allow me one more weird analogy.  My brand of vehicle is call "Trust".  I drive a "trust" car.  I trust God to keep me on my path, and steer me back to the main highway, lest I become "lost"; like heavenly GPS.  How can I know He will do this?  I've seen Him do it time after time.  I'm a very adventurous person.  This is not the first time I've been to visit the town of New Age. 

    Each time I've gone there, I've always come back to my main highway wiser, my faith in God stronger, and my relationship with Jesus enriched.  Not everyone can get off the beaten path, not all are called to.  My ability to traverse my journey is tied up in God's call on my life.  I needed to be able to take side trips or jaunts.  I'm a writer.  I'm not afraid of the big picture, I love the big picture because God's in it.  So, I said all this to say I should not have suggested in my last entry that you should read a book by Wayne Dyer.  He is very new age.  He is one of those "create your own reality" guys.  From what I've read, he doesn't say much about what God wants for us, because God doesn't exist outside of us.  The only god there is is what we have in us.  I don't believe that.  The Scriptures say "In Him we live and move and have our being."  We are in God, and God is in us.  I'm going back to the main road during this Advent season to spend some quality time with Jesus.  Now that's an intention worth while.  God bless you.

Sim

Comments

[Mike B in STL]

I say: "take I-70 East and stop when you get to Saint Louis. :)