Road Trip

Sun rises over southern New Mexico, painting the canvas sky lavender and pink. On the horizon, a train chugs along the tracks against the backdrop of a rocky plateau shaped like a sleeping dog. My mind records the scene, soon etched into memory.

Our car on cruise control, heads 10 West through a parched land, the property of roadrunners and rattlesnakes. We are not alone. Dozens of heavy-weight semi trucks lumber beside us in the right lane, driven by faceless men behind tinted glass.

I’ve traveled this highway twice before, heading from Texas to California. It’s a long, mostly desolate journey, broken up by welcomed rest stops and remote gas stations. Small towns, hosting McDonald’s yellow arches, are an oasis to weary travelers.

By noon,  our black car bakes beneath the sun’s rays as the dusty wind slaps the car. We pray for safety, and God’s leading as we travel home. Who knows if the car will hold up. Or what’s waiting around the bend. Even the best-laid plans and preparations can go awry.

Confirming our fearful what ifs, we see vehicle mishaps along the interstate. An overturned truck lying in a ditch, an RV stranded on the side of the road, and someone changing a flat tire. Could be us…..

We check directions on the GPS.  How much longer till we’re there? Is there cell phone service? Enough gas?

The cab of a semi truck is being towed. It’s windshield smashed, and written on the passenger door in giant ink: JESUS IS LORD AND SAVIOR. What happened? Is the driver alright? Did he also pray for travel mercies?

Nerves tense. Being a Christian doesn’t prevent “bad things from happening” on the road of life. But like Simon Peter told Jesus when others walked away, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68).

Not knowing the future, we press on because we know Who holds our future. And we know that  Jesus, our Lord and Savior, is present even in this…………..

A road trip in a dry, desolate landscape littered with small cacti that remind me of sheep grazing  in a brown field.

And the knowing makes me rejoice.

Author: Karen Foster

I'd like to say I've changed, but after decades of living, I still have the same four passions. My relationship with Jesus, spending time with family, attending live theater, and writing devotions & first-person stories about a loving, faithful God who reveals Himself in our every day circumstances. View all posts by Karen Foster