Road Trip

Two guys strike up a conversation while pumping gas.

“Wow, she was thirsty!”

“Yeah, man.  Be traveling cross country for days, just need to get a away for a while, I try pushing the needle.”

“I  see that, wow, you must have rolled in on fumes!  Where are you headed?”

“Yeah, she was empty so I had to stop unless I wanted to be towed.  Headed?  Just as far as this tank of gas will take me then I’ll stop, fill up and be on my way again.   What about you?  You a local?”

“Local enough, I pass this way every week on my way to work with a special group of kids.”

“Ahh, that is great, well I should be on my way, tank is full.”

“Well, since you have no plans, do you want to come change lives of some children?”

“Thanks, man, but I am not great with kids and I hear the road calling my name.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, like I said, I pass here each week, if, at some point you change your mind.”

“Thanks But don’t hold your breath, man. Hey have a good one, man.”

“Okay.  You, too.”

The two men parted company,  oath doing exactly what they said; one drove and drove until the needled pointed to E while the other met with a special group of young children.  It was with a smile on his face and love in his heart that the second man returned to his car, his heart as full as his gas tank.  The first man wandered the streets, hoping to find, what, he did not know; yet down every corner a shadow awaited, a shadow haunted causing him to make a turn...so many turns, so much rerouting that the man had no idea where he was nor where he had been.  At each station he would fill his car and his stomach with junk from the convenience store; having no plan, no map, each stop between pumps seemed to grow longer and longer, causing more and more sadness,  or anxiety, more loneliness.  Irritation his confidant, the man continued with superficial, short lived satisfactions to masquerade his loneliness, to momentarily ease his pain, to fill the void of that which was missing in his life.  This second scenario mimics what we do when we neglect Christ in our lives, when we toss aside faith and just run with life.  We wander as we wonder and quickly become lost among our own thoughts, lost among the criticisms of the world.  In an attempt to avoid rejection, avoid criticism, avoid a self defeatist attitude, fill our lives with fluff and label our trip ‘freedom’; off we go with no purpose, no pulse, no  understanding of our service and that of the Father’s love.  Quickly we tire, we become fearful of the unknown, fearful of our next step yet we are more fearful of admitting such fear that we illicit pride as our copilot, making sound minded detours and meditative contemplative stops an impossibility.  Our days become filled with nothingness while our nights serve only as a masquerade to our fears.  Life is not just about a quick fill up that we may be on our way; life is about filling up on truths, filling up in the Father’s promises, filling up on the Father’s love.  Pride can no longer be our copilot, that job is reserved for faith.   We must take purpose by the horns, revisit old roads if we must, charter new territory if need be, not waiting until our gauge is pointing to E before we start looking for a service station.  And yet, while at the next station, we need not fill up on short lived energy, rather we must find that which will keeps us going between stops, that which identifies our purpose and that which kinders our spirit with that of the Lord’s.  Stops to refuel are much needed but how is the journey, itself?  Who is your copilot?  Which map are you using to navigate the course of life?  On this map, does the key show purpose, hope, wisdom and prayer or does it just taunt with colored lines and measurements?  The stations which you choose to refuel, do they offer sustaining fuel or is it quick, easily burned off energy?

And so, a week on the road and the first man finds himself in need of fuel.  He steps out of the car, goes to the pump and looks around.  Moments later a second car pulls to the pump and the men engage in conversation.

“Hey man, how’s the night treating you?”

“Good, and you?”

“Hey, I am on my way to help a special group of kids, if you are not busy, want to come?”

“Absolutely, I do.”

The man filled up that night and never again was did his needle hit E.  This special group of kids melted his heart and he leaves his purpose, learned to serve but not without the Father’s love.  The tossing aside of pride and allowing faith to navigate opened the flood gates of love, allowed the man to become full without the treat of a quick high and a lower low.  Fill life with the Father and life quickly becomes full.  How often are your stops? And what energy are you perusing...faith or pride?