A few weeks ago, after two good days in Bowling Green with some lovely ministers’ wives, it was time to head home. Storm warnings had me leaving earlier than expected. Those Bowling Green-ers watch the weather like crazy. And for good reason. Severe weather, including tornadoes and hail, was forecast. It happened just like they predicted.
At Elizabethtown, the rain was pelting. Semis were pulling off. I needed to follow their lead. What better place to find shelter than Panera Bread? Wading through the parking lot, I was soaked by the time I made it to the door. “One light roast coffee and cinnamon swirl bagel with honey walnut spread – for here, please.” (Try it if you haven’t.)
I dripped all the way to my seat, so glad to be temporarily out of the monsoon.
Refreshed and with a slight break in the rain, I returned to my car. Putting “Home” into my Maps app, I found there were three ways to get there. The shortest, which was labeled “Severe Thunderstorm Warning,” the second was 45 minutes longer but read “Avoids Severe Thunderstorms Warning.” The last and longest was one hour longer than the first, but it also avoided severe thunderstorms.
The shortest route was familiar. It was the one I always used, but the rain was a lot to deal with. The other routes seemed to take me the way I used to go to Bowling Green. It was long. It was terribly boring, but it avoided the storm. I pondered the choices and prayed.
It made no sense to keep driving in a storm if I didn’t have to. I had already passed wrecks and emergency vehicles but could stubbornly press on through the hard rain. With a roll of my eyes, I chose the longest route. I didn’t have a set time to be home. And I did have a Frank Peretti novel downloaded on my phone. What was there to lose?
Pulling from Panera’s parking lot, I gassed up, turned the heat on 450 degrees to dry my soaked feet, and set out. Following every turn, every direction as instructed, after a few miles I realized it was not at all the path I had expected. This was not the long and boring route on the Hal Rogers Parkway. Mostly driving two-lane curvy roads through small towns, I went through unfamiliar places.
After a lengthy time on the winding road, it spit me out on the original path – the path I KNEW.
“What?” I asked aloud with a laugh. The rain had tapered off. Still in the rain, but I was no longer in the storm.
When the prophet Samuel had young David called from the field that day (1 Samuel 16), David had no clue what the Lord had in store. He would begin an incredible journey following God. There would be mountaintop highs and deep valley lows. There would be times he would have courage to face giants and times he would be on the run. There would be days he would get it right and then days he would mess up royally.
A favorite Bible verse, written by David’s son, is Proverbs 3:5-6. It reminds me when I trust in the Lord and don’t try to figure everything out on my own, He will lead me. He will show me the path to take. And, yes, it is sometimes an unfamiliar one, complete with twists and unexpected turns. As long as I follow His leading, I can rest knowing I am on the right road.
Following God’s path is not always easy. But it is easier than walking/driving without Him.