Taking a 2 1/2 hour road trip with a 3 1/2 year old is an adventure in and of itself. I don't know which of us was more excited! My Stanley and I spent the night with the kids earlier this week and then Benny came back home with us; mom would come later. The trip up there was about as opposite as it could be compared to the trip back. Stan and I are normally quiet trip takers. He learned a long time ago that he really doesn't want to know what I'm thinking because when I start telling him, I can see him completely shutting down. (I jump from one scenario to the next in record breaking speed, continually; similar to a squirrel trying to cross a busy highway. He says he literally doesn't think about anything at all; or at least hardly ever. I don't believe that for one minute.) So he drives; I think. About an hour into the trip he'll ask if I want a Diet Coke. We don't have to discuss where; we have our favorite place. After we get back on the road, he might comment if he sees a deer in the field. I just sit and enjoy my squirrel thoughts.
I'm not quite sure when My Stanley and I because such quiet trip takers; I don't think it was always that way, but we've been together for lots of years and time has its way of playing tricks on the old thought process. It seems like I remember some conversations about life in general on road trips of long ago, but that might be a memory that I borrowed from someone else.
Now stop right here, lest you are thinking that we never ever talk. I said that we were quiet trip takers. Remember? (Paragraph #1, Sentence #5) We are not always quiet by any stretch of the imagination. It's just that after all these years, we pretty much know what the other is thinking, whether HE will admit it or not; so even if we're not actually speaking audible words, we are communicating. But we do speak audible words, and lots of them. We both have distinct opinions about everything, whether we agree or not. And even though we may not talk much on the actual trip, we will discuss the actual trip in great detail at a later date. It's a system that's worked quite well for us for over 33 years.
But add a small boy to the mix and it's a game changer. This child! He did not slow down talking until he talked himself to sleep. He talks on the same level that my brain processes my squirrel thoughts. And I love it! I can almost keep up with his line of thinking. We talked about every single piece of road machinery that we saw. We counted every cow. We discussed why it's important for squirrels not to try to cross the road if they haven't really made their mind up. We talked about what kind of surprise Pawpaw will have for him when he gets to our house. We talked about who made the birds and the mountains and the clouds. We talked about where boogers come from. If it was in his line of vision or on his mind, we talked about it. Not one single detail of our trip back to Marshall went unnoticed.
So while thinking about the differences in traveling with my quiet hubby and traveling with an almost 4 year old who communicates constantly, I had one of those "AH HA" moments. I'm also on a journey with my Lord and Savior, and there are some very distinct similarities.
Depending on where the current road is taking me on any given day, I may be like my chatty grandson and talk and talk and talk, barely slowing down enough to see if there is a reply to my squirrel thoughts. I'm probably traveling this road on one of those wonderful days when everything seems almost perfect in my world. I think sometimes I get so caught up in being so happy and thankful to be on this road that I don't give God a chance to communicate with me. Yes indeed, I do have those days! At this age, each day is one short day closer to Heaven and that makes me happier than I have words to describe! But what if He has something really important for me to know? Sometimes I just don't give Him a chance to speak to my heart, and what a blessing I've lost when I do that.
Sometimes the road I'm on is rocky and steep and it's all I can do to just focus on putting one foot in front of the other. My mind is focused on my problem at hand, with my head bent down, not looking to see if there's a road sign that could ease my journey. My constant chatter is the worry and the doubt about the road I'm traveling. Am I even on the right road? Am I so focused on the problem at hand that I can't focus on God and let Him help me on this path? He's promised that He'll do that for us. My road sign is my Bible and I have direct access to GPS (God's Peace & Security); I just need to utilize these lifelines. Focus.
I think my favorite journey is when I travel that old country dirt road in the cool of the day and pay attention to all the beautiful sights and bask in the smell of the jasmine growing on the fence. And then I just listen. The sounds seem magnified when all the clutter and clamor of everyday life is left behind. It's in these quiet times that I enjoy God's presence the most. It's kinda like traveling with My Stanley; we are so connected that spoken words don't really matter; we just enjoy the journey because we're on the road together. And that's how I feel about my journey with my Lord - I enjoy the journey because we're on the road together. I know He'll take care of me. I know He'll love me regardless of my crazy spoken thoughts. I know He'll love me . . . because He died for me.
I urge you to get your road map out and make sure you're traveling on the right road! And enjoy your journey - each and every single detail!!
The following lyrics are borrowed from an old Southern Gospel favorite that seems fitting:
On the Jericho Road there's room for just two;
No more and no less, just Jesus and you.
Each burden He'll bear; each sorrow He'll share.
There's never a care for Jesus is there.
My favorite road with my favorite grandson!