Bumpy Road

by Brandy Webb

I was doing my devotional the other day, and it really hit home with me. So, I wanted to share my thoughts. It made the point of stating that following Jesus doesn’t usually mean we get to go down smooth and glamorous roads. In fact, the roads are usually bumpy and curvy.

Bumpy road at the Golan Heights in Israel

The truth is that accepting Christ in our lives is one step and is relatively easy because it is a gift from God. Yet, what is not easy is to then follow Him where He leads us. Jesus points out in Matthew 7:14, “How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it” (HCSB). In the devotional, the writer pointed out that the path Christ “leads us down can at times be lonely and not make sense. It’s the path where we’re more reliant on Him than ever” (Now What? by Scott Rodgers).

This statement made a lot of sense to me. I know I am more reliant on God when He takes me down paths that defy my understanding, and I am sure you are too. When this happens to us, we should not lose hope because God does give us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4). We just may not understand the way He is doing it. He also allows us to plan and set goals, but He is the one to establish our steps (Proverbs 16:9).

The point is, He is the one who chooses our path if we want to follow Him. Therefore, when we follow Him, we can’t lean on our own understanding because our ways are not His ways (Proverbs 3:5; Isaiah 55:8). His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8). Thus, when we follow God we most likely will not understand how the path will lead us to our goals, hopes, and dreams. Yet, we must trust Him because He knows more than we know, and He “will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust” Him. Plus, sometimes the roads He leads us down are our opportunities to test our faith and examine ourselves (2 Corinthians 13:5). When we get to the other side we will be stronger than we were when we started down the path.

Our main goal in this life overall is to make it to the Kingdom, and the path He chooses for us is to prepare us for the future. Sometimes we need to be stretched and molded, which isn’t fun. However, one day we will be able to look back and say, “Oh, now I get it.” 

So, we need to hang in there even if the path He is leading us down is a little bumpy, and we don’t know how we are going to make it through. All we need to do is trust Him because He knows what He is doing, and hopefully, the path will prove that, yes, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).