Holy Highways

I will do almost anything to avoid driving on the interstate, particularly I-80. I find myself grabbing onto the wheel with such force that my knuckles are white, my hands are sweaty and my shoulders are tense: I am afraid for my life! I have to turn off the radio and tell my somewhat nervous passenger to hold the conversation so that I can concentrate on what's going on around me. I'm particularly uncomfortable when semis pass me at breakneck speed, although it probably only seems that way because I don't like driving the speed limit of 70 miles per hour!

When I find myself in the right-hand lane when other drivers are trying to merge onto the freeway, it leaves me in a near state of panic if I can't change lanes to accommodated them. But the worst is this: the nasty interchange where I-80, I-380 and Highway 218 come together. One vehicle is flying down west-bound ramp while another is trying to get up the southbound ramp. The tricky part is that they have to perform this maneuver by crossing over in one lane. I usually end up stopping until I can get where I want to be. And yes, I know that I am an accident waiting to happen! Indeed, I do approach the freeway with great fear and trepidation, although some might say that I drive with too much caution!

At times, it may seem as though Jesus is testing our confidence as we drive down that holy highway, however, we can be certain that his invitation to grab onto the wheel of faith is always there. We won't have to worry about our white knuckles or sweaty palms, for he won't let our hands slip off of that holy wheel even as we go flying down the ramp of sin. We can be sure that he will protect us from that worldly accident waiting to happen so that we can cross over to the ramp of repentance remembering that we don't have to travel at breakneck speed to attain the kingdom of God. But we'd better not proceed with too much caution; Jesus will leave us plenty of room to merge with the kingdom on this journey called discipleship as we spread the good news of the Gospel. And let's not forget to hold the conversation, concentrating instead on what is going on around us as we listen to the divine voice of the one who gives eternal life.

Food for Thought

I will admit that I am a compulsive nutritional information label reader. Although I'm interested in such things as sodium, fat and calories, the thing that interests me most is the portion size. For instance, the last time I looked, there were 2.5 servings in a small can of tuna! I was quite surprised when I read the label; as I recall, my mother managed to feed our whole family of five with one can! Now I feel like a glutton when I eat the entire contents of that small container! There are interesting guidelines now with regard to portion size in case you can't figure it out from the label or don't feel like measuring. A medium apple should be the size of a tennis ball, a baked potato the size of a computer mouse. Four ounces of meat measures up to a deck of cards, and a cup of broccoli, a baseball. For dessert, half a cup of ice cream is the size of a small fist; however, it is rare that I actually eat that size serving! But now that we have figured out what portion control is all about and created a well-balanced meal, we can sit down at the table.

I'd like to take the time now to prepare our plates with the spiritual food that will nourish and sustain us on the journey of discipleship. It might just be helpful if we looked at the divine nutritional information as we get ready to dish up our well balanced holy meal. We can start with a tennis ball's worth of worship. A computer mouse's worth of prayer. How about if we add a deck of card's worth of Scripture reading? And a baseball's worth of mission? Don't forget a fistful or two of giving! It looks to me like we have a rather full plate. But remember how my mother stretched that can of tuna to feed five people? We, too, can be assured that God will provide just what we need, no more, no less, as he fills our spiritual plates with a well-balanced, nutritious meal.

But no matter how dainty or voracious your appetite is, don't be afraid of being a glutton filled with the desire for Jesus' love, for it will increase your spiritual appetite and satisfy your hunger. Let's fill our plates with faith and sit down at the holy table to partake of the divine food called grace. For that, friends, is one nutritional information label that's worth reading!