The Road of Faith

One time, Sarah and I were deer hunting in the Sandhills about 30 miles south of Mullen. Our friend Tim took us out to a huge pasture and pointed out a windmill in a valley about two miles north of us.

He said, “Just hunt your way straight towards that windmill, and I’ll pick you up in a couple hours!” We shoulda known better! By the time we walked down through a draw, climbed back to the top, found our way around a blow-out, then climbed another hill, and then did that same thing over and over and over again, each time checkin’ for that windmill – well, suffice it to say, by the time we came outta the foothills into that valley, we were a half-mile west of where we were s’posed to be – AND – it had taken us all afternoon!

We had tried to walk a straight line toward that distant point, but it took us WAY longer than expected, and we musta covered 2-3 times the distance it would have taken to just walk a straight line to that windmill! But if you’ve ever been out in those hills, you know full well there’s no such thing as a straight line to anywhere!

Following Jesus is kinda like that – there IS no straight and easy path from here to eternity. For those who would follow Jesus, the path will often have loops and hills and valleys as well as sidetracks and backtracks. Being a disciple of Jesus is sorta like what Paul McCartney called a “long and winding road.”

Are you willing to follow Jesus wherever He would lead – even if that path is full of blind curves, steep hills, and long valleys where you can’t even see the other end? Jesus didn’t call us to follow Him on an easy path – but He did promise to walk with us every step of the way. In one of the most famous of Psalms, we read this, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me…” There’s no promise that if we follow Jesus there will never be any problems in life. But the promise is that Jesus with be with us through it all.

Following Jesus is kinda like a hair-raising rollercoaster ride! If you’ve ever been on one, you remember the twists, turns, and slow climbs followed by exhilarating speed – with the end of the ride being this wonderful slide into the station again… Picture your life with Jesus right there beside you – enjoying the ride – already knowing all the thrills you’re going to encounter along the way – and yet both of you smiling til you think your face might just split in half out of the sheer joy of the ride! Jesus has SO MUCH to show you in life, but you gotta be willing to join Him in the journey. 

Pastor Corey Jenkins, Sidney 1st United Methodist Church