Devotionals for the Heart: Road Trip

Anyone Ready for a Road Trip?
A devotional by Glynis Becker

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”

 – Galatians 5:22-25 (NASB)

“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” 

–James 1:3-4 (NASB)

Anyone who has lived in the Midwest knows that getting from one place to another often requires a long road trip. I’m sure this is probably true in other parts of the world as well, but it definitely feels like we Midwesterners have the corner on that market. In the fall of 2018, our daughter went off to a college northeast of where we live, and to visit her requires a five-hour-plus drive, which is a pretty short drive if you ask us locals.

We made an overnight trip there last weekend, and while my back hurt from sitting and I was bored looking out the window at one more dead corn field, I thought to myself how nice it would be to have a transporter like in Star Trek. One minute you’re here and the next minute you’re there. No long car rides, no legs falling asleep. Just the joy of being with the person you want to visit.

Then I suddenly recognized that the journey is part of the whole experience. If it didn’t take time to get from here to there, what might I miss out on?

The phrase “enjoying the ride” is not naturally in my vocabulary, but as I’ve gotten older, I realize how much we learn getting from point A to point B. I shouldn’t be in a hurry to dismiss the time spent “in-between.”

This probably isn’t a brand new thought for you, but it was good for me to have a reminder of several important things. The fact is, long journeys take patience. They take endurance and perseverance. If you are traveling with others, they take grace and kindness. They take wisdom and faith. They allow us to learn contentment and gratitude. In the end, we might even gain a good measure of peace from acquiring that batch of skills.

Funny, isn’t it, how those lessons look a lot like the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22 and the list that James wrote?

God rarely shows us a whole map. Sometimes we don’t even know exactly where we’re headed. But I love that no matter where we are going, He is already there. I love that He is with me while I’m traveling. And I love the thought that sometimes He will carry me when I’m too tired to continue on my own.

A journey starts with a step. Road trips can be fun. The journey through life will have many steps, a bit of fun, fellow travelers, and lessons to learn.

Let’s travel well, friends. And I promise I’ll wave and smile when we pass on the road.

My Prayer: Loving Father (God), thank You for being both the Way and the Guide. Forgive me when I am too focused on what I want and I miss out on what You have for me. Give me the wisdom and strength to help others as we journey together. In Jesus’s Name I pray, Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

Glynis Becker writes devotions and inspirational fiction, hoping someday to have a published novel on her resume. 

She has co-written several screenplays, including the film Sinking Sand, available on DVD and digital streaming. 

Glynis, whose childhood was spent all over the country as an Air Force brat, has called South Dakota home for many years, along with her husband and two teenage children.

When she’s not writing or reading, she is watching more television than she should and crocheting. You can find her at www.glynisbecker.com.