THE HIGHWAY OF HOLINESS

A highway shall be there, and a road,
And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness.
The unclean shall not pass over it,
But it shall be for others.
Whoever walks the road, although a fool,
Shall not go astray,
Nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it;
But the redeemed shall walk there,
And the ransomed of the LORD shall return,
And come to Zion with singing,
With everlasting joy on their heads.
They shall obtain joy and gladness,
And sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Isaiah 35:8-10

Roads have always fascinated me. I often look at them in paintings and wonder where they are going.

When I was married and worked long hours putting my husband through medical school, I had a painting I used to admire while I sat at my desk. A fence was on one side of the unpaved road; overhanging oak trees covered the road on the opposite side. The road disappeared over a mountain and faded into the background.

As I dictated my court reporting notes, I would look at the painting, wishing I could be doing something else. Where will we live when my husband finishes medical school? What will he specialize in? And what will our lives be like?

I’m glad I didn’t know that road’s destination. I wouldn’t have wanted to travel it. However, my spiritual journey, Via Dolorosa, was the best path to the Celestial City God could have given me. It’s the problematic roads that mold us or break us; it’s the journey that matters. Where we arrive has already been decided, or God knows the outcome. He holds our future in His hands.

I thank God that, many years later, I’m still here. Some of my friends and family aren’t. Everyone takes a different route to the celestial city, but if we love Jesus, we know our destination. Sometimes, people get lost, but those who remain faithful will return to the right path. Some will take the scenic way. I like what J.R.R. Tolkien wrote in his classic book, The Lord of the Rings: “Not all who wander are lost.”

While the road I used to ponder was but an old country road, The highway through the celestial city is paved in gold (Revelation 21:21). No more suffering from sin, no more tears shed from broken dreams, no more sorrow to wake up to, and no more grieving for what could have been (Revelation 21:4). And, I might add, no more court reporting notes to dictate. Instead, we will shout for joy when we see our blessed Savior.

II Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

We are sojourning in a land that is not our home, and when things distract us, cause us to worry, or fill us with anxiousness, let us press on and finish the race. There is good out there, and it’s worth fighting for. If we follow God’s path, even though our efforts might seem paltry, they will not be in vain. We have so much to lose for the Kingdom of God and so much to gain for the Kingdom of Heaven.

PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, please help me to stay focused on Your Goodness, remembering Your Goodness is worth fighting for.

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