I have been thinking about that wrong turn ever since because that freeway reminds me of Christ and the detour reminds me of sin…
The other day – during the Summer School Holidays, my family and I decided – at the very last minute – to go on a very short two-day (and one-night) road trip.
With all the restrictions and uncertainties of the latest COVID-19 pandemic we decided that the best way to travel would be to drive a few hours out of Sydney and have a look around the area and then – the next day – to drive a few hours back home.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic our family often went on road-trips. When we go for these drives my husband does all the driving. He does not like other people to drive him around and – being the better driver in the family – he prefers to manage all the driving himself. Now, my husband is a very good driver – God bless him. He drives safely and carefully and has a better sense of direction than me – mine is hopeless – which means that it is slightly less stressful when he drives than when I do because he tends to navigate us around better.
The other day, however, when my husband was driving, being distracted by the conversation with a wife who was not at all paying attention to the road, he accidentally missed our exist on the freeway.
Normally, such a mistake is not a terribly big deal. After all, we live in the world of mobile GPS navigation and within a few short seconds the trip can be re-routed and we can be back on track with a very minimal ten or fifteen minute delay...
And at first everything looked okay to us. After all, the road – though quiet – was narrow and straight and we could see that we would soon reconnect with the freeway and be on our way again.
But then trouble struck! You see, further up ahead, the road was flooded and it was not possible for us to drive along that road anymore. And so, we had to turn around and go all the way back – farther back than we had already come – to re-enter the freeway and, remaining mindful of the route and exit that we wished to take, we could continue along our way.
And I have been thinking about that wrong turn ever since because that freeway reminds me of Christ and the detour reminds me of sin…
You see, we are all of us destined for Heaven – that is why we were created – to know, love and serve God on Earth and be with Him forever in Paradise.
And yet, we are so often distracted along our journey. Just as my husband and I were distracted on the road and missed the exit, so too are we distracted in our lives… When money or socialising or just plain “stuff” gets in the way we can lose sight of our route and therefore lose sight of God.
At first – just as with our road-trip – things might not seem that bad, the road may seem straight and the path clear, the further we move from Christ the more dangerous the obstacles become. Then we are left fighting dangers like the flooded rural roads and deserted streets, where there is nobody around who can help us.
And things that might at first appear as little ten or fifteen minute delays turn into catastrophic delays that cause us to lose our way…
And so, as I reflect on that feeling of safety as we finally reconnected with the freeway on that road-trip all those weeks ago it occurs to me that my feeling of safety in being able to reconnect with my Beloved is so much more profound I have barely the strength to think about it – much less put it into words…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
A great read.