You are on a journey. It is 101 degrees. The highway is barren. The load you’re carrying is heavy. The journey is long. There are so many miles to travel and such a short time to get there. You start to pray. But no matter the sincerity of your heart or the intensity of your petition, the engine temperature keeps rising and rising and rising.
GET READY!
Here comes the Breakdown.
Oh, the break down is so ugly! There’s no water on the horizon, no other travelers in sight and not even a breeze from God Almighty to provide relief from the oppressive and stifling heat. As plumes of smoke and water spray skyward you think to yourself how this all could have been avoided. You think back about the Travel Plaza you passed over and how you sped past the Rest Area. And now you’re sitting here alone mad at the world (but mostly with yourself) about the opportunities you spurned to slow down, cool down and rest.
Sound familiar?
Many of us can relate to this scenario. Not necessarily because of automotive troubles, but because this scene is a lot like our lives. We all carry heavy loads and many times life is a grind. We find ourselves with so much to do but where will we ever find the time to get it all done.
We are burdened. We are anxious. We are tired and quickly running out of time. Far too often our working solution is to keep on trucking and try to avoid a major breakdown. We keep chugging along praying nothing falls through the cracks and with a little luck maybe we won’t crack! The Energizer Bunny may appear to be able to keep “going and going and going” but even that little furry robot needs a fresh battery. How foolish are we to think that we can be like that bunny and not run low on juice.
We were made to get tired. We were meant to grow weary of life’s journey. We think we can manage life at full throttle but we can’t and even still we all try. So here is a word to the wise, the Breakdown is coming.
In God’s wisdom, He created a world that wears every traveler down. Every mile takes its toll. God designs every journey and in each journey He has planned moments of vigorous activity and peaceful rest. In Isaiah 40:31, we are reminded that God renews our strength when we look to Him. It is in these moments of emptiness and exhaustion that God is waiting for us to STOP and call upon Him. When we do He will give us the Rest and the Strength needed for life’s journey. This is His blessed design for each of us. It reminds us that we are humans and that He is God. We can travel alone with our own plans and design but it surely leads to just one more breakdown, but when we travel with Him, our journey becomes better. When we journey with Him, we travel well. When He gives us rest and strength for our journey, there will be no Breakdowns.
Travel well!
If You say go, we will go
If You say wait, we will wait
If You say step out on faith
And they say it can’t be done
We will fix our eyes on You and we will come– Diane Thiel
