Are we there yet? If you have heard those words recently, you may have had some children in the car and were headed to a special destination.

My family went to two special North Carolina destinations this summer. Although, we didn’t make it from Manteo to Murphy, we did make it from Manteo to Grandfather Mountain. (In case you have forgotten your NC Social Studies, ‘Manteo to Murphy’ is a phrase applied in 1876 that references the entire east-west width of North Carolina.)

Trip #1: Kannapolis to Manteo – 332 miles, 5 hours 24 minutes, 2 adults and a 9 and 12 year old. Highlight of the ride: Including the trip back home, we found license plates on cars from 43 different states as we traveled.

Trip #2: Kannapolis to Grandfather Mountain -120 miles, 2 hours 22 minutes, 2 adults and a 9 and 12 year old. Highlight of the ride: Including the trip back home, we found license plates from 3 additional states, giving us a total of 46 different state license plates for the summer.

During our two trips, I thought about the similarities between traveling along the road to a vacation destination and traveling along the road of life to our final destination – our heavenly home.

Proverbs 3:6 came to mind – In all ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct our paths. A definition of ‘path’ is that it can be a track or road made for people to walk or ride on.

4 V’s to keep in mind as you travel along the road that God has just for you:

*Enjoy the VIEW – Be sure you ‘sight see’ along the way. Stop at rest areas. Speed bumps, stoplights, and speed limit signs are in place to slow you down. People may pass you along the way, but don’t worry about that! According to Psalm 40:2, God has established your goings!

*Get the VISION – If you don’t know the WAY – or maybe a friend doesn’t know the WAY – or maybe a stranger doesn’t know the WAY, then John 14:6 will help: Jesus is the WAY, the truth, and the life. You will see reminders of this on signs that say: ONE WAY. And… if signs say that you’ve reached a Dead End, be thankful that U-turns are allowed. God will redirect you – GPS – God Provides Salvation! Also, remember God’s amazing protection and provision: Guardrails provide a safety barrier to shield us if we veer off the road and bridges provide a way where there seems to be no way.

*Be VIGILANT – 1 Peter 5:8 says to be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour. To be vigilant means to carefully watch out for danger. Some dangers you need to be vigilant about: *Crossroads? Two roads meet – you have to make a decision – Jeremiah 6:16 says to stand in the ways, choose the good way, and go there. *Sinkholes? They are caused by collapse when there is not enough support, so help others along the way. *Potholes? They form due to the constant stress on the road, so help bear each others burdens. *Roadblocks? Take a detour. *Bend in the road? Remember, it’s not the end of the road. *Warning signs? Pay close attention – Yield. Wrong Way. Do Not Enter. Keep Right.

*You will be VICTORIOUS – Ecclesiastes 7:1 says that the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth. We get that backwards, don’t we? Are we there yet? No, not yet. As long as we are breathing, we are still traveling the road God gave us to travel. When we get to our final destination, Jesus will be with us as our earthly road ends and our heavenly life begins.

I like what C.S. Lewis said, “There are far far better things ahead than any we can leave behind.”

We actually did enjoy the rides – but not nearly as much as we enjoyed our destinations!

By the way, has anyone seen license plates from Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, or Rhode Island?

 

Ann Farabee, writer, teacher, and speaker, has taught in Kannapolis City Schools and Mooresville Schools. Read more at annfarabee.com