Unimproved road, the sign said.
Looked all right to me. My husband and I continued along the unpaved lane through grazing land and open cow country, admiring an old ranch house and barn surrounded by towering cottonwood trees. The beautiful setting inspired peaceful thoughts as we drove on toward a friend’s secluded mountain home.
A hard right turn and the road roughened a bit with a few more dips and rises. Another half mile and the path narrowed. Rocks replaced gravel as roadbed, and I felt like I was in one of those off-road, he-man truck commercials.
A long drop quickly turned into a steep climb up the other side, and we didn’t dare stop for fear of getting stuck right where we were. The term roadbed deteriorated into gouge, but we trooped on.
Unimproved proved to be the understatement of the year.
But we’d been warned.
Once we made it up to the pine-covered plateau, our friend’s home beckoned just ahead. The view of the valley floor we’d crossed and the higher mountains beyond was staggering.
A destination definitely worth the journey.
Our friends with the mountain home drove their road every day—in a Subaru just like ours. Knowing they did it encouraged us that we could do it, too.
Jesus offers that same kind of encouragement. He said we’d have trouble in this world and He was right. He gave us fair warning but He didn’t stop there.
“I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NIV).
He’s done this. It’s hard, but it’s worth it and we’ll make it because He is with us.
Rather than being discouraged, let’s not only take heart but take Him at His word.
A destination worth the journey. Tweet this.
Unimproved road, the sign said. Tweet this.
This is such an encouraging post. I really appreciate the metaphor of the “unimproved road.”
Thank you Ryan. So glad it was a blessing to you.