One of my favorite metaphors is equating life’s journey to traveling on the interstate highways, state routes, roads, avenues, or streets seen and unseen by Google. For they all take us from a beginning point to our destinations.
When we travel the roadways of America, it is inevitable that we will experience two things: her natural beauty and the challenges associated with reaching our destination.
As in all the places on earth, America’s natural beauty declares God’s wisdom, power, and grace. In contrast to that beauty, you will likely experience traffic jams, detours, mechanical breakdowns, costly repairs, and tolls. You may also experience storms, accidents, possibly be in an accident, help someone stranded, or be supported by someone when abandoned. Traveling on the roadways and highways can be quite an experience.
Metaphorically speaking, traveling on the road of life is like traveling on roads and highways. Your journey begins with your birth and growing up in the moral incubator of your home. Your parents or guardians prepare you for your trip, so you will be ready to journey on your own when that time comes. This preparation includes your moral, spiritual, academic training, circle of family and friends, cultural upbringing, and more.
The quality of the moral incubators varies depending on the individual home, the family, culture, economics, and environment. I believe that regardless of the quality of one’s moral incubator while growing up, God plants seeds in all of us. Seeds of hope, dreams, and opportunities for the future. Seeds germinate through a gift or skill a person possesses. They may grow through a vision, dream, book, or movie. They may evolve from the influence of a person, a life-changing experience or observation, and even a revelation from God.
I like the road of life metaphor because regardless of our age when the time comes to leave home for the first time or start over again, many of us will do so with beautiful expectations, hopes, and aspirations as we start. Yet the reality is that it will not be an easy journey.
You will encounter good and beautiful days and times of disappointment and obstacles on the road of life. There will be times when the beauty of humanity will be contrasted with man’s inhumanity to man in all its destructiveness. Your health and welfare will be determined by your ability to make healthy choices and wise decisions. There will be those times when you do the best you can, and it does not seem to be enough. The road of life is the road that leads to eternal life. But it is filled with many challenges that sometimes make the beauty of a well-lived life seem like a distant dream.
A Message of Hope, Deliverance, and Victory Just for You
I will never forget when my family and I traveled through Missouri on Interstate 55 north to Springfield, Illinois. The clouds were dark and low, but our spirits were lifted when we noticed rays of light piercing through, creating beautiful sunbeams that fell to the earth. In response, Elaine, Chastity, Audrey, and I sang:
A sunbeam, a sunbeam, Jesus wants me for a sunbeam. A sunbeam, a sunbeam, I’ll be a sunbeam for him.
Here are some things I’d like you to consider as you travel on the Road of Life. Learn what it means to delight yourself in the Lord and travel as a Protégé of Jesus. You will have the advantage of living well in our world of chaos. Look for the sunbeams of God’s light of love breaking through the dark clouds and know that you are not alone. As you travel on the road of life, be a sunbeam of God’s love and light to others.
In the early 1990s, I was inspired by a senior member of Turner Chapel AME Church in Columbus, Mississippi, where I served as pastor. Mr. Sam Hinton was a faithful member who had made his living working for the railroads in Mississippi. On Sunday, we were celebrating his birthday. I don’t remember his exact age except that he was over 90 years of age. He talked about how he learned to trust God and hold to God’s unchanging hand in his testimony. Then he began to sing:
“Hold to His hand, God’s unchanging hand. Hold to His hand, God’s unchanging hand. Build your hopes on things eternal. Hold to God’s unchanging hand.
This was Mr. Hinton’s testimony to us that day, having traveled on the road of life for almost a century.
Consider the words of King David:
“The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.” Psalms 37:23-24
Rev. Dr. Russell M. Morrow
Into the Lesson
The Road to Life essay tells that in the same way, we will encounter contrasting on the roads we travel, we will also have contrasting experiences as we travel the road of life.
The question or challenge for traveling the road of life leads to life eternal is how do we experience on the road of life,that that the road of life is the path to life eternal which implies that with all of its experiences, isThe objective of this lesson is for you too After you complete this lesson you will be
In this lesson, we will explore five scripture verses and how they relate to our journey on the road of life.
- Psalms 1 – The fuel for your journey on the road of life.
- Psalms 23 – Where he leads me I will follow
- Psalms 37 – David’s words of wisdom in his old age about the journey
- Matthew 7:13-15 – Jesus’ perspective about the road of life
Psalms 1 – How To Live Well
Activity
Watch the following Videos in Psalms 1, verses 1, 2 & 3
- Verse 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fP56NS8Weik&t=176s
- Verse 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfZuEaa0Dlg
- Verse 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4XM99HeD5k
Read or listen to the following commentary on Psalms 1 From Eduring Word.
Assignment
Reflect on each of the following questions and answer each one with at least one hundred words.
Who Influences Me? I tend to agree with those who see a progression in verse 1, from walking, to standing, to sitting. You walk beside the wrong crowd and before you know it you are standing with them. Finally, you are sitting with them and your lifestyle and way of thinking is indistinguishable from theirs. Someone is trying to influence you through the media, our workplaces, and society. Are you being shaped by the “wicked” or the “righteous” (the two groups in this psalm)? Who is influencing you? Who are you influencing? Is the influence for good or evil?
What is My Delight? What brings you joy? What energizes you? What do you find to be life-giving? When God gets a hold of us, He changes our “wanter” (the things we want). Yes, we still struggle with being tempted to do the wrong, but our greatest desire should be for God and the life He has for us. Nothing else will satisfy! If this is not true for you, then this is an indication that there is something spiritually wrong. The blessed person is the one who delights in God’s ways and meditates on them (see v. 2). This is not about loving religion or any religious observance, but about loving God and His ways and desiring to know Him in greater ways.
Where do I get my Strength and Nourishment? The tree in this verse (v. 3) flourishes at all times and yields its fruit in season because the roots go down to a steady source of water, providing the nutrients it needs even in dry times. What resources do you draw from when you face those dry times of life? We have a lot of people in the church who are spiritually anemic. What if you had God-honoring flourishing people influencing you? What if your relationship with God was so rich that you had a continual source of spiritual strength and fortitude? Do you have such relationships with God and others? If not, what would it take from you to each of those?
Which path am I on? We live in a society where right and wrong are simply in the eyes of the beholder and words like “righteous” and “wicked” are shunned.
Question by Roger Severino, Adult Discipleship – Leadership Minister, Brentwood Baptist Church, Brentwood, TN
Psalms 23 – Where He Lead Me I Will Follow
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,c
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
