On The Road Again

As seen in the HEARTbeat and Village Voice

On The Road Again

            No, this isn’t a reference to the Willie Nelson classic, even though I do enjoy traveling and seeing the beauty of God’s creation that is our wonderful country.  But as the title suggests, I am on the road again traveling the roads of Tennessee and Kentucky.  Even though one might think the landscape is all the same in these two states, that thought couldn’t be farther from the truth.

            In the western part of these two states there are the river bottom areas.  This is the landscape somewhat flat and suitable for row crops.  As I’ve traversed the states from west to east, the flats become rolling hills, which then become the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern parts of the states.

            The architecture turns from modern in the cities to true farmhouses along the backroads.  But the people are all the same – friendly.  I approached a gentleman behind a counter in a small town gas station asking for directions.  He greeted me in good country fashion and asked what he could do for me.  I said I was lost and looking for a particular tourist site.  “Well sir” he said, “you go down this road until you get to a vet clinic, and you turn left.  Go about a mile and you’re there.  You’ll think you’re on the wrong road because it’s kind of rough, but just keep goin’.”  I grinned, thanked him for the directions.

As we traveled down that old country road, there were many sights, just in the mile or so.  There was an old general store front propped up in the front yard of a house.  Not the entire store, but just the front of the wooden structure with a sign over the door.  Old home places which had been there for many years dotted the roadside.  You really had to keep your eyes open to see everything.

When traveling, you need to keep your head up and eyes open, especially when in places that are new to you.  Such was not the case with two travelers a road following a funeral.  They were walking, talking about the man whose funeral they attended.  He was an up and coming public figure, raising the hopes in eyes of many people.

As they walked along, dejected in spirit and in body posture, a man came alongside them and opened up a conversation.  They didn’t know or recognize the man, as their heads were downcast.  But having someone else along for the long walk was refreshing; how else did they feel uplifted inside.

When they got home they invited the man in for lunch.  When the man broke the bread apart and gave the blessing, all of sudden they realized it was Jesus.  At the moment they recognized Him, Jesus disappeared from their sight.  They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

When traveling along the road life has for us, keep your head up and your eyes open.  Even though we may be feeling down, God has blessings for us at every turn.  Look for them and He’ll reveal them to you!