Lessons from a Road Trip

Recently, my husband and I took our church teens to camp. He drove one van with all of the boys, and I drove another van with all of the girls. I decided to follow his van, not even bother putting the destination in my GPS. Along the way, I observed some things that were so similar to the journeys in our Christian lives that I felt were worth sharing.

As I traveled behind my husband, I found myself getting impatient and often questioning what he was doing. I wondered why he was slowing down or speeding up. I wondered why he would take certain roads. I knew the final destination but really had no idea how we were going to get there. I had to trust that my husband knew how to get there and to allow him to lead the way, even when I did not understand his decisions.

How similar this is to our Christian lives! We must trust that our Heavenly Father knows the path that we need to take, and we must allow Him to lead us. We will not always understand the way that He takes us. We may not know why He slows us down, speeds us up, or chooses to stop; however, we need to follow Him because He will take us to our final destination in perfect timing and safety.

At one point during our trip, I got really impatient and ended up ahead of my husband. I could not understand why he was not passing the slow vehicle in front of him. I made the decision to get in the other lane, thinking that he would get over in front of me. Then, we could both pass the slower vehicle. To my surprise, he did not move to the other lane, and I ended up passing him. This was a problem since I had no idea where I was going. I had to move back over and slow down so that my husband could get back in front and lead the way once again. How the Holy Spirit spoke to me in that moment. He reminded me that, when I get impatient in my Christian life and get “ahead” of God, it always ends up being a problem. I become confused and frustrated, and ultimately, I have to submit myself once again to God’s leading and directing. 

The Lord continued to speak to me throughout our trip. When several other vehicles got between me and my husband, I grew concerned. I could not see my husband and did not know where to go. What a great spiritual reminder that, when we let things come between us and the Lord, it is hard to see Him, possibly causing us to go the wrong direction. We must make sure not to let anything or anyone take our focus off of the Lord, never allowing anything get between us. The more distance between us and the Lord makes it more likely for us to lose our way. We must keep the path clear and stay close to Him.

I am so thankful for the lessons learned on this trip, both natural and spiritual. God has given husbands to lead the homes, pastors to lead the churches, and Himself to lead our lives. It is up to us to submit to that leadership and to follow. On our trip, my husband made the decisions he did because he could see things that I could not. He could see the traffic, stop signs, speed limits, and obstacles ahead, just like God can see what is ahead in our lives. We may not understand, or we may think we know better; however, those thoughts will only leave us frustrated, take us off of the path, and cause us harm. Let us remember what God said in Isaiah 55:8-9, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. God truly knows best, so let us allow Him to lead our way.   

by Crystal Collingsworth

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