The Road Ahead

The most profound thing that my grandpa has ever said to me went something like this:

"Jilsy-Pillsy, I'm proud of you. You've worked hard and your parents did a good job with you. I'm proud of the kind of parents that all my kids turned out to be. You have worked hard and got a good education, but take it from someone who didn't get past the 8th grade, book smarts aren't all that matter. On the road of life you never know what's up ahead or around the corner. It might look like a four lane super highway, but it is like a real road - there are smooth patches and there are potholes. You never know when they are coming but they'll come, and you'll have to get past them. An education is good, but sometimes life takes some good, solid common sense to get through it."

Now, if you know my grandpa, you know that this is out of his norm for granfatherly advice. He usually sticks to the bit about education vs. common sense and promotes the use of the World Book Encyclopedia and the news as his best education. I can still remember being nervous as he pulled me aside at my college graduation party and sat me down on the green couch in the parlor of my parents' house. You never knew what grandpa was going to talk to you about, or how long he'd talk

I don't know why, but his analogy of the road ahead has stuck with me. I could just see the sincerity, the hint of humility, and the honest desire to share something from his years of life with me in my budding adulthood.

It's true that we just don't know what the road ahead holds for us. Does it hold many twists, forks and curves; does it hold washed out patches and potholes that will nearly swallow you whole or pop your tire?
I like to plan (what an understatement) and so does Blake (have you seen his spreadsheets!?), but some things you just can't plan for, you just have to trust.

My grandpa trusts his common sense, and I'm thankful for the common sense that he's passed down to my parents and on to me. However, even more than common sense I trust the One who made the road, the One who wrote the book on wisdom, the One who has been there with me through the journey and the One who promises to never leave me or forsake me.

Proverbs 3:5-6 will always remind me of the word picture my grandpa painted, and the things he didn't say when he sat me down on that couch. I'm thankful that my parents filled in the blanks as I was growing up.

In the devotional, Jesus Calling, Sarah Young shares what Jesus told her about trust. It was just what I needed on the day I read it:

"Walk with me along paths of trust. The most direct route between point A and point B on your life journey, is the path of unwavering trust in Me. When your faith falters, you choose a path that meanders and takes you well out of your way. You will get to point B eventually, but will have lost precious time and energy. As soon as you realize you have wandered from your trust path, look to me and whisper "I trust you Jesus." This affirmation will help you get back on track. The farther you roam along paths of unbelief, the harder it is to remember that I am with you. Anxious thoughts branch off in all directions, taking you farther and farther from your awareness of my presence. You need to voice your trust in Me frequently. This simple act of faith will keep you walking along straight paths with Me. Trust in me with all your heart, and I will make your paths straight." - September 9th