Faith is Taking Back Roads
Hebrews 11:1 New International Version (NIV)
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
The dust fills the air as the sounds of gravel roads rattle in our ears. A back road can be full of adventure and beauty. It can lead to the unexpected and can also lead to new discoveries. My son loved to travel down unknown back roads. I would travel along them in search of photographic moments and he would ride along for the adventure. When a back road is a choice it can be a fun adventure.
When back roads are not your choice they can fill you with uncertainty and anguish. Back roads are often used as detours from a planned itinerary. These detours are unexpected and lead to changes in expectations for your travel. Often you have to follow the orange detour signs by faith and hope that you can again return to your original destination.
Grief forces you down the back roads of life. They were not in your original plans. You may have had an itinerary filled with smooth travel with rest stops planned at graduation, weddings, and anniversaries. Grief can change those plans. Grief takes things from our lives but faith gives them back. Following faith down the back roads of life can return you to your final destination.
Grief took away my joy
Faith is taking it back and putting me on a new road of strength and finding new joy.
Grief took away my hopes and dreams for the future.
Faith is taking them back and placing me on a new journey.
Grief took away my relationship with my son.
Faith is placing me on the road to reunion where we will get it back.
Grief can take away many pieces of our lives. I can not drive down the road where my son’s accident took place. I can not visit certain places because of the emotions and memories associated with those places. Faith is taking back roads. It is taking back what was lost day by day. Someday when I enter the gates of Heaven, I will even get my son back. I can only hope that Heaven has some back roads because our adventures are not over.
