As the pastor of three churches, I spend a good deal of time on the road. I’ve only been here about a month, but I’ve already driven the road between Gettysburg and Onida numerous times, often with a stop in Agar, which is between the two.
The main road between Gettysburg and Onida is U. S. Highway 83, a north-south road which runs through the middle of South Dakota. What’s amazing about that road is how far you can see on it. The ground is pretty flat, the road is pretty straight, and there are not very many buildings, or even trees, to block the view. You can literally see for miles. In fact, sometimes it’s a little deceptive. I often think I’m getting close to Onida, because I can see it up ahead, only to realize that I’m still six or seven miles away.
I enjoy traveling on a road where I can see a long way ahead. Sometimes I wish I could see the road of my life that way, too. Sometimes I wish I could see where my life was headed several years down the road, just like I can see several miles down the road on Highway 83.
In fact, some people say we should try to do that. They tell us that we should make a plan for our lives, that we should figure out where we want to be five or ten years down the road and then do whatever is necessary to head down that road and reach our destination.
Maybe you’ve tried to do that in your life; maybe you’ve even been successful at it. If so, that’s great. It doesn’t work for me, though. I’ve tried it a couple of times, and not only do I not get where I wanted to go, but if seems like God purposely throws roadblocks in my path to keep me from getting where I want to go, forcing me to head in a different direction.
It could be that I’m just not very good at making these sorts of plans. What I think, though, is that when I try to make these plans for my life, that’s exactly what I’m doing: making my plans. I’m trying to figure out what I want for with my life, rather than trying to figure out what God wants for my life. I think, when I do that, God does things to remind me that it’s God’s plans that are important, not mine.
Certainly, when I look at my life, it’s gone a lot differently from what I would have thought it would twenty years ago, ten years ago, or even six years ago. When I looked down the road at that time, I could never have seen a life for myself in which I would change from being a lawyer to being a pastor, then move from Wessington Springs to North Sioux City, and then move again to the churches of the Wheatland Parish. Yet, I would not change that life for anything, even if I could.
It’s great to be able to see a ways down the road. On the other hand, the things we can’t see coming are sometimes the most wonderful. It’s okay to make plans, but be sure that those plans leave room for the wonderful surprises God may have in store for you.
The main road between Gettysburg and Onida is U. S. Highway 83, a north-south road which runs through the middle of South Dakota. What’s amazing about that road is how far you can see on it. The ground is pretty flat, the road is pretty straight, and there are not very many buildings, or even trees, to block the view. You can literally see for miles. In fact, sometimes it’s a little deceptive. I often think I’m getting close to Onida, because I can see it up ahead, only to realize that I’m still six or seven miles away.
I enjoy traveling on a road where I can see a long way ahead. Sometimes I wish I could see the road of my life that way, too. Sometimes I wish I could see where my life was headed several years down the road, just like I can see several miles down the road on Highway 83.
In fact, some people say we should try to do that. They tell us that we should make a plan for our lives, that we should figure out where we want to be five or ten years down the road and then do whatever is necessary to head down that road and reach our destination.
Maybe you’ve tried to do that in your life; maybe you’ve even been successful at it. If so, that’s great. It doesn’t work for me, though. I’ve tried it a couple of times, and not only do I not get where I wanted to go, but if seems like God purposely throws roadblocks in my path to keep me from getting where I want to go, forcing me to head in a different direction.
It could be that I’m just not very good at making these sorts of plans. What I think, though, is that when I try to make these plans for my life, that’s exactly what I’m doing: making my plans. I’m trying to figure out what I want for with my life, rather than trying to figure out what God wants for my life. I think, when I do that, God does things to remind me that it’s God’s plans that are important, not mine.
Certainly, when I look at my life, it’s gone a lot differently from what I would have thought it would twenty years ago, ten years ago, or even six years ago. When I looked down the road at that time, I could never have seen a life for myself in which I would change from being a lawyer to being a pastor, then move from Wessington Springs to North Sioux City, and then move again to the churches of the Wheatland Parish. Yet, I would not change that life for anything, even if I could.
It’s great to be able to see a ways down the road. On the other hand, the things we can’t see coming are sometimes the most wonderful. It’s okay to make plans, but be sure that those plans leave room for the wonderful surprises God may have in store for you.
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