We Will Rock You.
Let's take a trip back in time. The year is 2002. The movie: CROSSROADS. Remember? A story about three high school girls at graduation who take a road trip to Los Angeles? Britney Spears, Zoe Zaldana, Tarynn Manning, Kim Cattrall, Dan Aykroyd? Written by the woman who OWNS Thursday night television, Miss Shonda Rhimes? Remember how HORRIBLE this film was? Remember it's score of 14% on Rotten Tomatoes? Remember how Britney won the Razzle award for Worst Actress, while the rest of the production team was also nominated? Remember? Think back to those millennial clothes while singing "I'm not a girl, not yet a woman."
Welcome back from your time traveling journey. Now, what does this have to do with this blog, you ask? Nothing. At all. I just wanted to remind you that this movie exists.
Actually, one thing does relate. The title. CROSSROADS.
The idea of a crossroads is a tired metaphor, perhaps only preceded by two roads diverged in a yellow wood, which we have Mr. Robert Frost to thank for. Yet the reason it is so worn is because it is so relatable. We have all found ourselves as some point, probably countless points, in our lives where the one road on which we are traveling betrays us at a fork and leaves us to our own devices. We have no map, there are no signs, and we have a horrible track record on making good decisions, leaving us with absolutely no idea which direction to take.
I know when this happens to me, I sit on the ground in front of my options and wait. I stare down each path, trying to get a glance of what might be waiting for me down that way. I cup my ears with my hands and listen for someone who might be calling my name from a little ways ahead. I call my friends or family and ask which path they believe I should take. Then I pray. Maybe the Lord will send down a fire tornado for me to follow just like he did for Moses! (Exodus 13:21-22)
Sometimes we wait in front of 25 different roads. Sometimes it's four, like your every day intersection. But I find it the hardest when it's just two. I couldn't explain why the simplicity in options intensifies the difficulty in choosing, but it absolutely does. And then you sit and wait for some sort of flare in the sky, or a small whisper that says "take the one on the left." And sometimes you may just get the hint that you need to make your decision!
Yet, often times, the woods stay silent, and you're left to choose on your own.
WHY? "Has God deserted me?"
I know that thought has penetrated it's way through my soul many times. But it is a lie the enemy whispers through the forest while I sit and put off my decision. No, God is alive and well in these very woods. He is in the trees that protect us from above. He is in the dirt holding up our feet. He is in the leaves giving us shade. He is in the rock we sit on to rest. He is in the birds that sing to us as we travel. And He is walking alongside us every step of the journey. The best part is that He will still be with us no matter which path we choose! And that path will be blessed.
How do I know?
Psalm 23:6! "Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life."
Did you catch it? Goodness and mercy will FOLLOW. They don't lead us; they follow us! No matter where we go! This recent realization has been revolutionary for me. One of the most well known passages in the Bible, and I feel as if I'm just now understanding David's words.
Now, let me clarify one thing. There are absolutely roads we should not be taking in life, though they are presented to us. But I imagine those choices, the one's that God does not have intended for us, are voices calling us off the path He has laid for us and into the woods. Crossroads that we come upon while on our path are different. Those are like a choose-your-own adventure book. There are no wrong answers, and all roads lead to the end of the story.
What a wonderful way to think of it all! We live a Choose Your Own Adventure life! That's not something to be afraid of, that is something to be excited about!
Moral:
When you come to a fork in the road, sit. Listen. Does God point to one path specifically?
If yes, GO THAT WAY! YAY!
If not, open your eyes. Look down each path and study what little you can see of each possible new journey. Which calls to you?
"If I go to the right, I'll miss out on those things down the left. But if I go to the left, I miss out on these things down the right."
This thought goes through my head all the time. Which choice will be better for my future? While it is true that by choosing one path, you may sacrifice what's down the other, the truth is that both are good for us. If God has put them in front of you, surely they will not lead you astray. The two may even meet up again on the other side! Just go! Choose your adventure! Live! The Lord is with you! Goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life! GO!
Take one more trip back in time with me. This time to 2004. This viral Superbowl commercial where, like CROSSROADS, Britney is once again joined by two women more talented than she. Obviously, I'm referring to Beyoncé and P!nk. The three divas unite in the ultimate power ballad as Enrique Iglesias looks on from above. But forget that. Forget the fact that it's an ad for Pepsi®. Forget the historical inaccuracies. Forget the hilarious old man pounding his drum in the stands.
This is how I want you to attack life. This is how invigorating and excited it could or even should be! Yes, it's scary, but we are not called to make decisions out of fear. We are called to make them out of faith. So wake up every morning and shout this to the world!
Overcome. Choose your path. GO.
