I often get reminded to think of my life as a road or as a road that takes me on a journey--the road or journey of life. Recently my life has taken a road or journey that I had not foreseen I would be on just a few years ago. I have journeyed to places that I had not planned on traveling to. My journey has forced me to take time away from these weekly thoughts. But my journey did not take me on a vacation as some often do.
Instead, I journeyed to a couple of different hospitals but more about that perhaps another time. For now, I am glad that I have completed that part of my life's journey. I have had the best doctors and nurses and home care people. I have been so blessed. I am so grateful and have many thank you's for those who have prayed for me on this journey, have sent me cards weekly and the frequent phone calls to me, some have sent me gifts and provided food for us when it was so hard for me to manage. I have received flowers, and also money and other gifts of house cleaning and then there were the gifts of encouragement and hugs and visits. There was a gift of time given if I needed someone to stay 24/7 with me, and gifts of time with me at the hospitals. Gifts of walkers and canes and wheelchairs that were loaned. Daily my husband has had to give me the gift of love in action as he has had to do for me what I couldn't do—things he doesn't like to do and some that I would rather no one would ever have to do for me. And he did them so willingly, with love. This journey I have been on has not been easy for him!
There is no way I can say thank you enough to everyone who has been there for me. But please know that I love each and every person who has been part of this journey. You have made it better for me.
Early one September morning, we set out on a journey that would lead us to a follow-up appointment post-surgery. Traveling has not been easy for me for many many months but that particular morning it was especially difficult. It was a very foggy morning and had been foggy during the night. When you leave your car parked outdoors, sometimes the fog seems to collect as much on the inside of your car as on the outside. And that was what had happened. Not only could we not see where we were driving, we could not see through the window to see the road if we could have seen the road. We had not thought ahead nor prepared for the conditions and really had no time to wait for things to clear. When we started driving on the road that runs east and west past our home, the sun was in position to peak over the horizon exactly where the road was and was in a position to be shining right in our eyes through the outside fog and through the inside fog! My husband stopped and wiped the inside of the window and drove on. Stopped again and wiped and drove on again. From my perspective, I could only see the edge of the road and the weeds that mark the road edge and the beginning of the ditch! And to me it looked like we were too close! and I was with a driver that couldn't see. It was the perfect "storm" of circumstances to make continuing on scary! And I was scared! We knew we just needed to drive just one mile and then all would be fine. We could turn to the north and the sun would not be causing us distress. We could see that we would be able to drive out of most of the fog. By then the heater in the car would have cleared the inside of the car. Surely, we could take risks for just one mile! But we should not have risked the risks. It wasn't worth the risk. We were safe but it could very much have been otherwise.
We made that trip, saw the doctors and personnel that we needed to see and then started home. Along the way home, we needed to make a stop for a restroom. When you travel in this part of the country in the fall, you can see signs of the local schools participating in the local tradition of "homecoming." There are decorations with school colors and mascots and slogans lining the town streets. As we made our rest stop, it was obvious there was lots of school spirit in that town. We drove back out onto the road we had been traveling on and then realized that we should have checked the traffic a bit better. Instead, we suddenly realized that we had entered the tail end of their homecoming parade as there were two floats just in front of us! We got to be part of the parade!
We were reminded of another parade we had been part of many years ago. We were in a town where the highway paralleled the county fairgrounds. And as it happened, the fair was holding a fair parade at the very time we were driving by. Not knowing that this was happening, we continued on our way and only as we went past the main fair entrance, did we see that floats and tractors and other things were leaving one by one through that entrance to parade on through the town. No one was directing traffic so, then again, we became part of the parade! We were not feeling like celebrities in a parade! We felt like trespassing strangers where we were not supposed to be! On a road that we were supposed to be on but were on by a timing mistake! A road intended for others, and we were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Even more years ago, we had another road experience! As a family we had been enjoying family together time on a wonderful vacation. We had journeyed to Colorado, but that plan did not work out, so we quickly made another plan. And took roads that let us journey north through National Parks in South and North Dakota and on into Canada. This journey gave us many wonderful memories that we still have. We entered Canada through the International Peace Gardens and then made our way east into Ontario. Our boys requested that we try to see "wildlife!" To try to honor their wish, we decided to journey on roads that weren't popular with most people traveling. We found roads that were narrow and unpaved and wound through vast forests. It was great fun, even though the road was rough enough that we experienced a flat tire. We were on a journey adventure. And we did see wildlife! Those were days long before cell phones and GPS and google maps. We used a folding map and a road atlas book! So, it came about that we only generally knew where we were! We could not have pinpointed exactly where though! We had our camper with us if we got caught out and about when dark came—no worries. The forest land where we had been driving seemed to be claimed by logging and paper mill companies. We saw very very few people that day! And no one told us that we should not be there in that area!
Driving along on narrow dirt roads through nothing but trees and forest seemed to go on without end! Suddenly, something was different! The road we encountered and decided to turn onto was in effect a major 4 lane wide dirt road! Who would have thought such a road would have existed in the middle of nowhere in the forests of Ontario! We drove along that major 4 lane dirt forest road for a couple of miles and then realized........we weren't on a normal forest road. We were on a logging company runway for their airplanes! Our wonderfully large road was no road at all. You can be assured that we choose to exit that runway "road" as soon as we could possibly do it!
In Romans 10, the apostle Paul seems to declare the road to heaven isn't difficult to find nor to access, just as all the parade roads and runway roads were not difficult for us to enter and drive on. It's right in front of us in the precious and Eternal Word of God. Jesus Christ said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). And Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV): “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Or in the NLT--“You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. Our wide runway road would have led to destruction if we had continued on it if a plane had come for a landing and we were in the way!
Who will not go to heaven according to the Bible verse? 1Cor.6:9-10: Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. You enter heaven by forgiveness and through the righteousness that Jesus gives you. You do not enter into heaven by the Christian life. It's always true that where faith begins, works will follow, but salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
People who called themselves Christians have stated there is more than one road to heaven. Now, while it may be politically correct here in America to think all roads lead to heaven, I am reminded of what Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am THE way, and THE truth, and THE life; no one comes to [journey to] the Father but through Me.” What makes Christianity so amazing and so different from all other religions is this: The King and Creator of it all became a man, died for our sins, and rose again from the dead. The devil would like me/you to believe there are many roads that lead to heaven, but the simple fact is this: there is only one road to heaven, and that road goes through the cross of Jesus Christ. And what a wonderful road that is. I want you to join me on it because that is where you’ll find … REAL HOPE.
You might have had a conversation with someone who believed that there are many ways of salvation and that there are many religious roads to heaven. Recently, Pope Francis has said that all religions are paths to God, but his comments are controversial and have raised questions about their church doctrine:
During a visit to Singapore in September 2024, he said, "All religions are paths to God. They are like different languages in order to arrive at God, but God is God for all". He also said, "Since God is God for all, then we are all children of God". But that caused controversy. Some have criticized those comments, and I wonder why anyone would believe that way since the Bible says Christ is the only Savior of the world.
I only want to travel the right road. I pray that I will choose the narrow way and road and path that will lead me on the life journey straight to God.
My Life Journey continues!