Now that very day two of them were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. (Luke 24:13-16)
It’s actually only a seven-mile walk, but sometimes I feel like I’ve been walking a road like this one for seven years or seventy years! In spite of knowing better, in spite of having heard all the facts and all the news, the good news, I still manage to walk along the long road of life at times deaf, dumb, blind, and stupid!
I should know better, I really should, but feelings and distractions can sneak up on us and distract and even overwhelm us from time to time. Crazy, isn’t it? He’s ever walking with us, but we can be so caught up in our so many distractions and preoccupations that we barely notice, we forget what we should know better, and we wonder where He is.
He’s with you, Dummy! Open your eyes and ears and heart—and really see!
I remember a popular romantic song of Dinah Shore in 1944, “I’ll Walk Alone”, especially the verse, “…to tell you the truth, I’ll be lonely…”
Walking along the road of life, we are never walking alone, although we may feel like we are. The Lord is always with us whether we remember it or not!
How can that be? Never mind, you don’t have to know how or why; you just have to remember and know that it’s true!
Faith isn’t fantasy or make believe—it’s truth, even though it may seem hard to believe and can be hard to keep in mind and follow. It’s trusting what has been handed down and entrusted to us—even though it may seem to be naiveté to some others.
“I Never Promised You a Rose Garden” is the title of 1964 book and a 1977 movie based on it. That would make good title for a story about each us as we travel along the long road of our lives.
A rose garden sounds like a very promising destination, even though the beautiful flowers are surrounded by thorns! In a way that’s what makes the simile so accurate—there are obstacles and thorns along the way of everyone’s life.
Each of our roads has its challenges and difficulties, and the way is often hard, even painful. But, it’s worth it, even worth dying for it.
Remember, Jesus taught the crowd and his disciples:
Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? (Mark 8:34-37)
To succeed in anything requires dedication, practice, and hard work. Think of making the team in school, getting a degree from college, winning a medal in the Olympics, making a lot of money in a job, being elected to high office—whatever the achievement, it has its costs and its sacrifices.
No wonder that eternal life has its demands and costs, or that they may exceed any and every other price you have ever paid before.
Remember, the Lord also said:
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (John 15:12-14)
23 April 2023