Life Isn't a Highway

Ecclesiastes 7:13 "Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?"

Sometimes the road we're given to travel in this life is winding, steep, and filled with obstacles and hairpin curves. It's like having to hike a mountain trail versus being able to travel on an highway at 70 miles per hour.We like to think to ourselves "It would be so much easier and pleasant if only it was straight and flat!" Given the choice, most of us would opt to be in the fast lane and get to our destination quickly, rather than take a circuitous route where we encounter obstacles and challenges around every turn.

I think that most of us have been given the trail of life, not the highway, and it's God's wisdom that does this. If we had a fast track through life we would miss most of the beauty of our surroundings and we'd likely not be grateful for half of what we have because it would be passing through our hands so quickly. It's also a lot more likely that we'd miss opportunities to help and serve others. Let's face it- how many people have you been able to help while on a highway? If you're lucky, it's maybe one or two who had car trouble. Most likely though, you've never had a chance to help anyone while going 70 mph. It's when we're slowed down that we start to see the people around us- to really notice the person and their needs, and not see just another blurred face passing by.

Unfortunately, how many of us are busy complaining about this hard, crooked path and crying from the pain of the obstacles while ignoring the opportunities being presented to us? Wouldn't we all choose to make that path straight and easy if we had the chance? But in God's eternal view of things He knows that the highway isn't the place where we're going to do the most good or have the most growth. Our strength, faith and skills will be built through the challenging sections of our life trail. So when we're tempted to try to get around the hard parts of our trail, when we're tempted to force a straight path where there isn't one...let's remember that God has created the crooked path, He has marked the trail, and He is the one who will guide us through every obstacle. Only through God will we find the strength, courage and stamina to stay on the trail and enjoy the incredible feeling of having accomplished something grand when we see Him greeting us with open arms at the end.