The Road Not Wanted

 

The road of life is full of twists and turns, isn’t it? Things seem to be going fine, and then unexpectedly the road that opens up before us is one we do not want to take. If we could just close our eyes and make it go away, we would, but life doesn’t work that way. Standing at the start of that road and looking ahead, all looks hazy and the path cannot be clearly seen. But we know enough to know that that it won’t be easy, that there will be deep valleys and hard climbs, and we aren’t even certain where exactly this particular road in life will lead. Even here, as we take our first steps on this rocky path, our eyes fill with tears for the pain and challenges we know will come. How do we step forward onto this difficult road as those who are followers of Christ?

We step forward in faith, knowing that God is the One who ordains our paths (Psalm 139:16). This road is His choice for us, His plan for our lives. Although this may be hard to understand, there is comfort in knowing that this path did not come to us by chance, but by a purpose ordained before we were ever born.

We step forward in faith, knowing that God is good and wastes nothing in our lives (Romans 8:28). He will use this hard path before us for good. He is conforming us to the image of His Son, and this trial will bear the good fruit of making us more like Christ as we fix our eyes on Him.

We step forward in faith, knowing that we are not alone for God walks with us (Psalm 139:5-12). He hems us in on all sides as our refuge, help, and comfort. Not even one step of this dark path will we tread without His strong arms undergirding us.

We step forward in faith, knowing that God will give grace for each step of the way (2 Cor. 12:9). His grace will enable us to keep putting one step in front of the other and to keep our eyes fixed on Him, even in the darkest moments.

We step forward in faith, knowing that God cares for us and we can throw all our worries and burdens on Him (1 Peter 5:7). In the long nights and when the tears and trials come, when we are overwhelmed by our lack of being able to control the situation, in humility before our God who holds all things together, we surrender control and throw our fears on the very capable shoulders of our loving Heavenly Father.

We step forward in faith, knowing that we are surrounded by those who have faced their own dark roads and who have found God to be faithful (Hebrews 11:1-12:1). We realize that we are not the only ones who face hardships, and we are encouraged by the testimony of those who have gone before us and their deep trust in God. He sustained them and held them fast, and He will do the same for us.

We step forward in faith, knowing that while we may not have light to see what is on the other side of this dark path, we do know where our final road will lead (1 Peter 1:3-9). No matter what happens in this trial, we have an inheritance in heaven that awaits us and that can never be taken away. We will one day see our Savior, where all will be light, all dark paths and tears will be no more, and we will know that all the trials we faced were worth it for the glory that is before us.

So, as we step onto this road that we never wanted, we fix our eyes on what is unseen and not on the darkness and uncertainty we see ahead in our physical sight. And when the tears and trials come on this path, we’ll throw ourselves onto the One who is light in the darkness and who walks beside us. He is for us, and we trust Him.

-- Amy O’Rear