The redundant thump of the road beneath the vehicle provided an unwelcomed rhythm.
“I’m sorry about the bumpy road,” my friend apologized.
I snickered. It wasn’t her fault the road was bumpy. She was merely the driver on a route that had seen the devastating results of large trucks, floods and temporary fixes.
That’s life isn’t it? Every hardship we endure isn’t a consequence for something we have personally done wrong. Sometimes the bumpy road is the result of living in a natural world. It’s the normal wear and tear of raising children, growing older, temporarily repairing until we can do better. It’s sometimes doing the best we can, with what we have at the time.
Friend, sometimes we suffer on the road of life because of others—their mistakes, their addictions, their words, their hurts. These potholes cause turbulent times in relationships. They can make a smooth road bumpy.
My own road has been a fair mix of my own self-induced traffic hazards, inconvenient potholes caused by driving in a sinful world and bumps in the road caused by living life with other drivers. Before I road rage my way down the street, I would do good to remember the maintenance it requires to keep my own path clean.
God’s mercy and grace generously repair many of the places on my journey. But not all. This world is not perfect, and although God could provide a way for smooth roads and bump-free traveling, he has something different in mind. These present-day thumps and bumps provide opportunities to grow in patience, self-control, a helping spirit and other qualities that make me more like Jesus. Even the apostle Paul had a physical handicap that made his journey on earth somewhat irritating. He resolved that God must know best and found a way to deal with it.
May our hearts align with Paul as he said, “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (I Corinthians 12:10)
Let’s find our strength for this bumpy ride of life in Jesus. Let’s let him do the repair work and what doesn’t get fixed here, you can be sure he will complete it in eternity!
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