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Jun 24, 2023 06:00am

Life is a Highway

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I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “life is a highway.” if you’re anything like me those are not words you read, but sing. Whether you hear the musical stylings of one-hit-wonder Tom Cochrane or Rascal Flatts the message is the same:

Life is a highway.

In my small town, there’s been road construction going on for what feels like an eternity. Nearly half my drive is impacted by said construction, and I have to tell you I’m absolutely loving it. False.
However, this week on one of my annoying drives home through the construction zone, inspiration hit. God often speaks to me while driving and this Tuesday was no different. Right there on highway 67 in the middle of the construction zone, while impatiently waiting, I started to think about the phrase “life is a highway” as a life analogy.

Life’s a long journey. There are winding and bumpy roads. It’s hard. Sometimes there’s waiting involved. Life’s full of choices. Choices lead us to a destination.

No matter our age in life, we are faced daily with decisions that will affect the course of the rest of my “road trip”. The truth is, the older I get, sometimes it is hard to have clarity as to which way to turn. More specifically, it is hard to know what way God would have me to go.

One thing I’ve learned about driving is that there will always be backseat drivers; the people who tell you what’s best for you and where you should go. While some of them are better at guiding than others, even the most skilled of backseat drivers, get it wrong sometimes. This is why I have learned that there is no person, no matter how spiritual they may be, who can call all of the shots in my life.

I’d like to think that as the main driver of my life, I am good at determining where to go, but sadly this is not always the case. Last month, when driving to a friend’s house, I made a right turn at the main stoplight because that is what felt right to me at the moment. This turn resulted in adding fifty minutes to my trip as I had to turn around, go back to the light, and yes you guessed it, go left. Though I don’t like to admit it, this has happened in my life too. Trusting my feelings to guide my life has always ended in disaster.

Back in 1995 the first GPS (Global Positioning System) was invented.The GPS was designed to provide directions for the best possible route to a desired destination. It was also designed to get people back on track of their destination. Somehow, despite this invention that is now at our fingertips via smartphones, we still get lost. We also seem to have a problem with listening.

I’ve known people, myself included, who don’t always trust the GPS. They do their own thing instead. I took a right, remember? The crazy thing is the people who do this also wonder why the GPS didn’t work.
A “wrong turn” based on someone else’s idea or your feelings, when taking a weekend trip, may only result in an added hour in the car. However, it can get scary when you take a wrong turn on the highway of life.

Life’s a highway remember?

To me, a GPS is like the Bible, which can serve as a “God Positioning System” to the Christian.

A GPS has endless navigation knowledge. The Bible has the same. It not only gives us knowledge about who God is; it also provides wisdom for the direction of our lives.

If all the GPS (God Positioning System) could offer us was knowledge about God that we had to interpret on our own, it would be frustrating just like a paper map. We’d still be the one responsible for figuring out how to navigate our lives. Thankfully, the GPS and God Positioning System offer personal navigation services.

Just like the GPS talks to and guides you, God will do the same if you ask Him. He longs for a deep personal relationship with His people so He can guide and help them not only understand Scripture, but experience Him as He guides them through life.

In a sermon I listened to recently, the pastor said, “God is not a God to be understood only. He is a God to be experienced.”

He wants Christian’s to experience and know Him.

In order for this to happen though, you have to be willing to let Him speak to and guide you. You also have to be willing to let go of being satisfied with guiding yourself or allowing backseat drivers to lead you alone.

In order for successful life navigation between you and God, a couple of things have to happen:

1. You have to admit you need Him. If you’ve never bought a GPS or never turn it on, it can’t help you.
2. You have to trust and follow His “navigation.” If you turn the volume off or turn right when the GPS says left, it can’t help you.

When it comes to the second one, you have a choice. Just like a GPS couldn’t physically turn my car to the left instead of the right, God cannot force you to trust and follow His navigation. You have a choice.
If I had to sum the “life is a highway” analogy up in one word I’d say: unpredictable. However, the truth God’s proven over and over is that even though His navigation doesn’t always make sense, sometimes leads to waiting, and is normally not the route I would’ve chosen, it’s always the BEST navigation plan.
And if you happen to misunderstand the directions from your God Positioning System or understood but still “went right,” as I sometimes do: God is a faithful rerouter, all you have to do is ask and obey.