CHAPTER 1

The Journey

I have often said that there are two kinds of people: thosewho are on a spiritual journey and know it, and those whoare on a spiritual journey but don't know it yet. I believe thatthe spiritual journey includes the quest for meaning, the searchfor God, and the hunger for significant relationships. That questcontinues until our dying day.

It is human nature to think that we can arrive at the destinationof our choosing on the timetable that is most convenient.We strive for the big achievements in life—graduation, marriage,children, the big job or promotion, great wealth—thinkingeach time that we have finally "arrived." In a very real sense,many of us remain captive to the fairy tale of "living happilyever after" when, in fact, the journey never ends. Each step musthave its own meaning, and we must strive to find joy in the directionof our lives rather than in the destination.

This group of reflections includes some thoughts on howour journey sometimes takes us on detours to places we thinkwe don't want to go. But, if we are thoughtful and observant,we will often find that there are great lessons to be learned fromlife's detours. Even when we are completely lost, we may stumbleonto some of life's greatest blessings. Just as getting lost ona country drive may take you by some incredibly scenic spotyou otherwise would never have seen, there are times of greatpersonal discoveries when you feel emotionally or spirituallylost. Those are some of the things I contemplate on drives betweenmy city home and my little ranch in north Texas.

7 The Road, Part 1

A long, hot, dry Texas summer had decimated FM 1385,the paved county highway I travel regularly. Most of the roadwas fine, but there were sections where the base under the roadhad collapsed. To get past those sections I had to slow to lessthan forty miles per hour, and even then it often felt more likesailing a small boat over high seas than driving. If there wasoncoming traffic, it could be dangerous.

Coming home one night I couldn't help thinking abouthow my journeys across that road were emblematic of my trekthrough life. Sometimes my life's path has been straight andtrue and smooth, with no real obstacles. There have been timeswhen it was easy travelin' and I made good time toward mydestination. Other times I have hit rough patches that slowedme down, turbulence that frightened me, and discomfort thattempted me to give up.

I drove that county road so often that I knew where thebad spots were. They didn't bother me much. I knew that itwouldn't be far before things smoothed out. Whenever I neareda bad section, I would remind myself to slow down, drive carefully,and be patient.

You know where this is heading. Wisdom does not comeeasily, especially the kind that allows us to understand the lengthand scope of the journey God has laid in front of us. Lookingback on my life, I wish I could have displayed more equanimityduring my rough patches. I'd like to say that I always knewthings would smooth out, but I didn't. I certainly didn't alwaysunderstand it at an emotional and spiritual level. Sometimes Irailed against the injustice of life; sometimes I panicked. Therewere times when I simply cried.

I would also like to say that I have learned my lesson andthat I now not only fully understand the inevitability of toughtimes but also trust the good news that things will always getbetter. I can't tell you that. I'm sure there will be times to comewhen I will again rail against injustice or will panic or weep.

Such are the limitations of my human nature. But I hope thatI am slowly becoming wiser and that, when faced with suchtemptations, I will be reminded of what FM 1385 has taughtme: slow down, travel carefully, and be patient. Things are goingto get better.

7 The Road, Part 2

I had so many responses to the column about my adventuresalong FM 1385 that I decided to do a sequel. I was travelingwith my four-year-old grandson several weeks after writingthat column, and we passed a section where there was a detoursign. Liam was at that age where he asked about anything andwanted to understand everything. So the question came: "Whatdoes that sign say?" I told him, and he followed with the inevitable,"What is a detour?"

Have you tried explaining a detour to a four-year-old? Iwon't attempt to replicate that conversation, but I do want to tellyou that it nudged forward my memories of some of the detoursI've taken through the years. It seems that we are never reallyreceptive to detours. Let's face it, they cost us time and sometimesmoney. Yet I have fond recollections of country roads andback-country scenery I would never have enjoyed had it notbeen for the unanticipated side trips.

I also remember some of the detours I have encounteredprofessionally and personally. In fact, most of my life-changingmoments have come in ways that were unexpected.When you are traveling down one road, you don't anticipatesuddenly turning in a direction that was not on your map—mentalor otherwise. At the time, some of my personal detoursseemed good, but some appeared to be awful. Honestly, someof them were truly painful. But what is true about them all isthat somehow God was working in my life to get me to whereI finally needed to be. Looking back, that part is indisputable.

I think I'm going to preach a sermon one day on the importanceof detours in life. The working title is "Detours: HowGod Improves Your Life by Messing It Up." If you give thesubject some thought, I'm betting that you will agree with me.God guides us to where we need to be through unexpected andsometimes painful detours from the path we have chosen.

So, wherever you are in life at this moment, take the timeto look at the scenery and enjoy the journey. You are not lost becauseGod knows exactly where you are and has every intentionof getting you to exactly where you need to be.

7 Confession

Just shy of my sixty-third birthday, I began coming to gripswith a personal flaw that I could no longer ignore or pretendwas not there. Frankly, it was a private sin, and one about whichI had never felt the need to make a public confession. Nevertheless,I came to the conclusion that such an admission...