Taxi Faith

Every once in awhile when I am running behind schedule (a snoozed alarm clock that never rang again) or have lots of heavy things to carry to school, I take a taxi. I am reminded how much simpler it might be to get to school if I had a car, but I'm not willing to consider the overwhelming number of negatives. Some taxi drivers like to talk and others drive in silence.

I am amazed at the countless ways I have arrived at school. I often end up on a road I have never seen before. As I took a taxi home from the grocery store today, I was a bit surprised by the route we took. Although the route might be new, I generally tend to sit back and trust the driver unless he asks for my opinion about the route we take or clearly seems to be heading in the wrong direction. I am blessed with a fairly good sense of direction so I know if we are heading way off course.

As I relaxed in the relative comfort of a taxi ride recently, I considered how this is much like the life of faith. We know we are on our way to heaven and eternity with Christ (once we have made that life-changing decision to put our faith in Jesus Christ). Other than knowing our ultimate destination, there are numerous paths that God takes us down on our way there. (Disclaimer: This is not meant to mean that I there is a way to heaven other than through receiving God's gift of grace, but that God leads us all on different journeys in the life of faith.) The path that God has designed for me looks nothing like the journey that He is taking you on. Isn't that amazing!

And unlike some of my taxi drivers who need to ask my help in getting to the obscure street where my school is located, God knows the streets of our life perfectly. He knows the bumps in the road and understands that some turns feel like detours heading us in the opposite direction.

Sometimes the roads He sends me down aren't the roads I would have chosen. The streets aren't always marked clearly or well lit. Those turns are sometimes the ones that bless me the most. God uses the scary, dark alleys to draw me closer to Him, to trust Him in His leading in my life. Although I know my ultimate destination, this is one journey in which I don't know the route. I sometimes think I have it figured out, and those tend to be the times when God sends me on what feels like a detour.

Isn't it good to know that we can and trust Him? God help me believe and to trust you more!