Rough roads

I really like driving.  It is one of the things that I feel I am good at.  I grew up driving in a hay field when I was 8, while my dad threw the hay bales in the back of the truck.  I did that for many years and finally transitioned to the country dirt roads that we had around our house.  

What has struck me over the past couple of days is how life is like those dirt roads.  I have found that sometimes we are on some long washboard roads that just shake and beat you to death; the vibration just wearing us out.  The day to day life that just grinds us down.  The thousand little things that we do during the day that seemingly have no consequence, while at the same time can build up over time.  

Maybe we are driving at night and we hit a huge pothole that came up too fast to miss.  The jarring impact only lasting for a short time yet it can leave us forever changed, whether it be  losing a job or putting a child in residential care.  These may come and go quickly, however, while we are in their midst they do not feel short. In the grand scheme of God's plan they really are a bump in the road and we are changed for just for experiencing with them. 

Sometimes roads will be so dusty that we cannot see what is behind us even as we focus on where we are going.  And we could feel that if we stop, that cloud of murky, grey-colored air will catch up and descend on us so that you will not be able to see where you are going.  Funny thing about us stopping is that the dust cloud goes away after a while.  The dust settles, no longer obscuring our vision.  

Then there are the times where God shows us that He is taking care of us, where He has come and used a road grader to smooth out the washboards and fill in the potholes.  Then He sent some rain, just for us, to wash away all of the dust.  We can look back and see where we have been and have a clear view at where you are going.  Knowing that God put us right here, right now, for what we are experiencing, is a huge blessing.  

I may be feeling nostalgic about those country roads, but feeling as I do now, I will not be able to look at them the same way again.