Rough Road Ahead

While I have never been especially fond of road trips, I have taken many over the years. Over a lifetime of driving—cross-country journeys, weekend getaways, long commutes, and everything in between—I have traveled many miles.

I have driven highways, freeways, two-lane country roads, and roads that hardly seemed like roads at all—just well-worn paths through the forest.

I've traveled long, flat stretches of highway that appeared to disappear into the horizon. I've navigated winding mountain roads where the next s-curve only became visible as I rounded the last one.

I've driven on freshly paved highways so smooth they felt like floating on glass, and I've bounced along rough gravel roads that made me wonder whether my fillings would survive the journey.

Along the way, I have witnessed breathtaking mountains, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, forests, and endless fields of corn. I've also seen the scars left behind by floods, wildfires, and drought.

As I reflect on these travels, I realize they are a beautiful metaphor for life.

Our lives are a journey.

Sometimes we travel for long stretches on smooth roads with no apparent obstacles or potholes. Other times, life becomes rough and rocky, shaking us to our core.

Sometimes our path is straight and clear, allowing us to move forward with confidence. Other times, it twists and turns in ways we never could have imagined.

Our journey reveals beauty, joy, and love. It also brings pain, sorrow, and loss.

The Sign I Didn't Expect

On a recent trip, I noticed one of those flashing highway marquee signs with bright amber lights. It read:

ROUGH ROAD AHEAD

I laughed out loud.

I couldn't help but think, Wouldn't it be nice if life came with signs like that?

After all, our highways are filled with signs that tell us what to expect:

• Slow down ahead.
• Merging traffic.
• Watch for deer.
• Sharp curves.
• Dangerous intersections.

Wouldn't it be comforting if life gave us the same kind of advance notice?

The thought didn't last long.

It quickly dawned on me that if we knew everything that lay ahead, we might miss the very adventures life is inviting us to experience. We might avoid taking risks. We might never venture around the next curve to discover unexpected beauty, new possibilities, or profound love.

Yes, we might avoid some pain, sorrow, and disappointment.

But life would also lose much of its richness.

If we seek to avoid the pain of loss, we may never experience the depth of love.

If we seek to avoid sorrow, we may never know the fullness of joy.

If we avoid every challenge, we cannot fully appreciate the beauty and wonder of the easier seasons.

Living One Moment at a Time

I am grateful for the signs that help keep me safe as I travel the highways and byways of this awe-inspiring landscape.

I am equally grateful that life itself doesn't come with those same directional signs.

Without them, we are invited—perhaps even required—to remain fully present for whatever each moment brings: the good, the difficult, and everything in between.

Our opportunity—and sometimes our greatest challenge—is to recognize God in all of it.

Every experience, every twist in the road, every smooth stretch, every unexpected detour can become another step on our journey toward realizing and expressing our true divine nature.

Perhaps, on second thought, everything that happens along our path is a sign.

Each experience gently points us home, one step at a time, reminding us of who and what we truly are.

Enjoy the journey.

What “curve in the road” has ultimately led you to greater wisdom, love, or spiritual growth?