This past Fall I took a lengthy road trip. It was 2840 miles to be exact and I was driving to attend a mini high school reunion. It was held in southern Florida where many of my classmates now live. The weekend was filled with laughter and hugs as we reminisced about long ago school days followed by a time of unrehearsed and sorrowful tears as we said our goodbyes. It was an emotional weekend like the afternoon I spent with a lovely classmate as we recalled the days we began kindergarten together sixty seven years earlier. What precious memories!
On my way home I made a number of side trips to visit close and special friends. One morning I walked the shore of the Atlantic Ocean and in the evening I was making footprints on a sandy beach by the Gulf of Mexico with one I hold dear and special. Then it was off to Atlanta to visit a cousin and then to Greenville SC to have dinner with a person I’ve known for years but had never met.
Most of my driving was on done on freeways, interstates or turnpikes so I made ample use of the cruise control feature on my new car. It’s a wonderful option as you can set the device at a predetermined speed and pretty much sit back and relax.
But there is a downside to cruising. Maybe your life is set on perpetual cruise control and is filled with monotony, boredom and sameness. Perhaps everyday living brings you little contentment while joy and peace escapes you mile after tedious mile on this, your brief earthly stopover. If so, there is a way to change your trip of dullness to one overflowing with excitement and enthusiasm. It can be defined by one word, hope.
Listen as Paul writes to the Church in Rome concerning hope,
“May the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace
as you trust in him,
so that you may overflow with hope
by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13
By trusting God not only will you receive hope in your life but also the route to peace and joy.
Read this beautiful song of David,
“But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever.
I will praise you forever for what you have done;
In your name I will hope for your name is good.
I will praise you in the presence of your saints.
Psalm 52:8-9
All this just for the asking!
Manna and Coffee 