My husband and daughter often laugh at the “shortcuts” I choose to take when motoring around our small town. Several weeks ago the pool of naysayers increased as I drove my co-workers back to work after lunch at my house. My internal GPS tends to take me on the quieter, more scenic routes with less traffic and stoplights. This makes the trip shorter and more enjoyable to me. They just laugh at my logic or lack thereof.
However, this past week I was able to share with them what they had missed on “the road less traveled.” Upon exiting the main highway following my usual route, something caught my eye. First, I noticed a small, plastic American flag flying from a STOP sign. Next, barely visible in the tall roadside grass, was a border made of tiny American Flags. At my first turn, a bouquet of yellow balloons flew from the side of a small bridge. As I traveled down the short side street, under a canopy of green provided by trees that had recently found new life with the return of Spring, I sighted the second flash of yellow balloons flying from a street sign. At this point, I had to see this through. Work could wait just a couple of minutes. Besides, I had saved time taking my shortcut, right?
As I turned onto the street, just a few houses to the right, a mailbox sporting the largest bouquet of balloons yet and a “Welcome Home” sign came into view. A smile spread across my face as I passed and spoke a word of thanks to God for what this soldier had sacrificed for our country as well as his safe return. But wait! The street on which I found myself made a semi-circle back to the road I been traveling. As I followed the road around, I was surprised to find an additional cluster of yellow balloons and a huge yellow bow adorning another home. Awesome! Not one, but two soldiers had made their way safely home. I was ecstatic for their families.
With no more time to tarry and work waiting, I had to get moving. However, what a story I had to share with my flow of the traffic, red-light intersection friends. With all this said, let me encourage you to take the scenic route a bit more often, even if it it does add a few minutes to your jaunt. God may have a “pearl” waiting for you, one that may put a spring in your step and a smile in your heart on what you had expected to be another mundane day. There is also the benefit of additional moments of quiet in which to focus on God and hear his still small voice instead of navigating through a mass of cars.
In the poem The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost ends with these words, “Two roads diverged in a woods and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” How this poem speaks to a plethora of our choices we must make, many more paramount than a drive to work! Let this post set your mind into motion for further application in your life. There is much to be said for not always following the crowd. What blessings God may have for you there! To God Be the Glory!
However, this past week I was able to share with them what they had missed on “the road less traveled.” Upon exiting the main highway following my usual route, something caught my eye. First, I noticed a small, plastic American flag flying from a STOP sign. Next, barely visible in the tall roadside grass, was a border made of tiny American Flags. At my first turn, a bouquet of yellow balloons flew from the side of a small bridge. As I traveled down the short side street, under a canopy of green provided by trees that had recently found new life with the return of Spring, I sighted the second flash of yellow balloons flying from a street sign. At this point, I had to see this through. Work could wait just a couple of minutes. Besides, I had saved time taking my shortcut, right?
As I turned onto the street, just a few houses to the right, a mailbox sporting the largest bouquet of balloons yet and a “Welcome Home” sign came into view. A smile spread across my face as I passed and spoke a word of thanks to God for what this soldier had sacrificed for our country as well as his safe return. But wait! The street on which I found myself made a semi-circle back to the road I been traveling. As I followed the road around, I was surprised to find an additional cluster of yellow balloons and a huge yellow bow adorning another home. Awesome! Not one, but two soldiers had made their way safely home. I was ecstatic for their families.
With no more time to tarry and work waiting, I had to get moving. However, what a story I had to share with my flow of the traffic, red-light intersection friends. With all this said, let me encourage you to take the scenic route a bit more often, even if it it does add a few minutes to your jaunt. God may have a “pearl” waiting for you, one that may put a spring in your step and a smile in your heart on what you had expected to be another mundane day. There is also the benefit of additional moments of quiet in which to focus on God and hear his still small voice instead of navigating through a mass of cars.
In the poem The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost ends with these words, “Two roads diverged in a woods and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” How this poem speaks to a plethora of our choices we must make, many more paramount than a drive to work! Let this post set your mind into motion for further application in your life. There is much to be said for not always following the crowd. What blessings God may have for you there! To God Be the Glory!