Old Roads

Recently, my husband Dave & I have been out riding our Harley's. And the roads have taken us to old haunts of mine. Places that have memories attached to them. It is a true statement that when you are riding a bike you have time to let the fresh air blow the cobwebs out of your head. Life has been a bit hectic of late with a lot of emotional upheaval and some unexpected twists so the open road has been a welcome friend.

Old roads lead to old destinations. Some of those are good and some of those are not so good. I passed by a few places on our jaunt that made me cringe and a few that made me smile. I guess that is why the apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:13-15
"Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you."

So I got to thinking about some of the destinations. What I discovered is that there are some roads that God does not want me to go back down. There is danger at the destination. He wants me to learn from the experiences of the past. Kind of like the verse above where Paul says that those of us who are mature should take a view of these things and learn as God makes things clear. There are some roads that lead to God's blessing and provision. Those are the roads that should be well traveled. And those roads may be a part of the pressing on to the goal.

There are some of the old roads that are secret places to me. Places where I have had private moments with my God. Places where I have wept for what was and prayed for what would be. These places remind me of the faithfulness of God as He has mended my broken heart and taught me that He is the one that meets my needs. There also are places on those old roads where I have tried to hide from God. Like Adam and Eve I thought that I could hide from Him. Yet, He continued to call me out and beckoned me to walk with Him as we talked together. There have also been places on the old road where the path diverged. I have had to leave some traveling companions on those forks in the road. Those were painful partings and yet needful for my continued growth. Along the way, God has provided new companions or brought others back to the path with me.

I am grateful to God for all of His wonders and grace in my life. Even in these turbulent times we are in, I know that He is faithful to keep me walking on the narrow way. His ways, his old road is the way of the cross. And the way of the cross leads home. Even now, Lord Jesus, lead me home.