The Crooked Road

Growing up in Missouri, I often heard people talk about the distance from one place to another in two different ways: 1) As the crow flies and 2) as the road goes.  The crow tend to fly straight from point A to point B, the roads in Missouri, like Arkansas, tend to wind about a bit and add considerably to the distance.

While preaching both in the Western Plains of Kansas and in the Panhandle of Texas, I found that there wasn't any difference.  While in Arkansas and Missouri, the roads had to follow the contour  of the land, in Texas and Kansas, there was no contour.  From one town to another, there was a straight line drawn between them and asphalt laid over it.

In our minds, we tend to lay out our future as if we were living in Texas or Kansas, drawing a straight line from where we are to where we want to be at some point in the future, but God, not us determines our paths, and God apparently isn't from Texas or Kansas: "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps" (Prov 16:9).

In our mind's eye, we can see where it is that we want to go - it's straight up the way, as the crow flies.  But we lack the ability to see the spiritual topography around which a path must be laid to actually get there, and not being able to fly like the crow, our journey takes us up and around, including switchbacks and detours.  Life's journey takes us down a crooked road, not allowing us to see what is around the next curve or over the next hill.  "you do not even know what will happen tomorrow" (Js 4:14).

So, how do we plan for this journey, not knowing what is around the bend or over the next hill?  May I suggest that we prayerfully make our plans, laying before the Lord, seeking his guidance and direction?  "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans" (Pr 16:3).

Committing what we do to the Lord means that we invite Him to take charge of our lives and set us on the right path.  It says that we desire to live according to His will, not our own.  He in turn will establish us in righteousness and bring about our greatest good, but not as the crows flies, instead as the Lord determines, according to his will and our benefit: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Rom 8:28).  Jus' Say'n.