Deep in
the pages of the Old Testament is a fascinating little story about an unnamed
prophet who traveled to Israel in a period of great difficulty and delivered a
strong message. He was a foreigner, and
his harsh words were vexing to the cruel king.
Being no fool, the prophet had a sense that danger awaited him on his
journey home. “So,” we are told, “he
took another road and did not return by the way he had come.”
Our
subdivision is located near a major east-west artery, the only means of access
to or from our house. Watching the busy
traffic on that road prompts me occasionally to ask what other means of escape
we might have in a time of crisis. What
alternate routes are available to us? We
can’t go more than one block before we must get on the highway that everyone
else uses too. While there’s no
immediate threat to our calm little neighborhood, still it’s discomfiting to
think there’s only one exit.
Several years ago on a day off I drove from Raleigh, North Carolina into South Carolina. I could have used the interstate but chose
instead to take old Highway 1. It was a
slower but far more interesting route, and I enjoyed wending my way through
smaller cities that I might otherwise never have seen: Apex, Sanford, Southern Pines, Rockingham. “Another road” provided a pleasant day of
sightseeing on my journey.
Alternate routes are good for life’s journey
too. Bob, a recent acquaintance, having been laid off
in his mid-fifties from his accounting job, decided this was an opportunity
to take another road and pursue a lifelong dream of a career in music. I’ve had clients and parishioners too who would like to try
something new but who, unlike Bob, were afraid to leave the highway on which
they were coasting along. They stayed
in cruise control for too long and let the lease expire on their motivation,
technical know-how, ambition or curiosity. Inertia took over. They stayed on the familiar road and could no longer imagine any other.
The story of the foreign prophet does not end
happily, for he changed his mind and returned to the common highway, and
then—well, something about a lion and a tomb. When his crisis arose, this man chose
familiarity over risk, abandoning his newly chosen road home.
It's okay to try another road. Find your alternatives....Check the map....Recalculate the GPS....Refresh the resume....Make the plan....And trust God to go with you.
Copies of Mike's book, You Are Rich: Discovering Faith in Everyday Moments, a collection of 60 faith-related reflections, is available through Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
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