When I was in High School my best friend and I ditched school to go to "the beach" . Neither one of us had ever driven to a beach or really had any idea of where the beach was, besides east of Reading, PA . So we left. And started driving something kinda like south east. Not. A. Clue. I remember stopping at a convenient store somewhere near the PA-Maryland border to read a map. It literally felt like I'd been driving through corn fields for hours. Maybe I had, or maybe I was just young, but I had faith that if I stayed the course, we would eventually get to the coast. We didn't take a high way, we didn't even take a well marked secondary, we literally were on some back winding roads, driving in the general direction of "the beach" on a route that I could be fairly certain no one has driven before or since from Reading PA to "the beach". Where did we end up? I actually have no idea. But every winding road, corn field, and farm we passed eventually dumped us out at some pretty spectacular sparkling water. We saw some beautiful things on the trip there and back. Actually, the crazy drive ended up being what made it worth while. The goal got reached, but it was nothing compared to the road there. We could have done what everyone does, jumped on the same old highways, gotten stuck in the traffic of everyone trying to get to the shore faster than the next person, and arrived at the same piece of beach as everyone else...at the same time...on the same day...stayed our Saturday to Saturday, and then fought the same cars on the same highway, to get home faster and better than the person in the car next to us.
NO.
The rat race isn't for me. It wasn't then,and it isn't now. Fitting in, doing what everyone thinks is the right/best/normal way isn't for me. And interestingly, my husband feels the same way. Our faith has put us in some category so far outside what 99% of the population thinks is "normal" that we might as well not even bother trying to find the expressway at this point. The choice to live humbly baffles some. The real evaluation of what our "needs" vs "wants" are, the choice to do without what some see as necessities is confusing. This world is full of distractions, big 4 lane highways that everyone is on, following the pack, believing that's the only way to find the beach. I'm not on the highway, and I'm not going to the same beach, but I am moving and I am going to "the beach", walking in faith every day, and watching the beauty of the journey unfold,taking joy in giving all the glory to God. My path is now and will forever be lit by The Lord.
"...Lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will light your paths" Proverbs 3:5
