Day 50 Lying in the Middle of the Road

Why do you call me “Lord, Lord,” and do not do what I say? Luke 6:46

 It was a sunny, and unusually warm autumn Sunday afternoon, so I thought I would take advantage of it by taking some photos by the river. As I took a dirt-road cutoff, I rounded a bend in the road and slammed on the brakes.

There, in the middle of the road, was a woman lying on a blanket, working on her tan. I was both taken by surprise, and relieved that I stopped without running over her. When the dust cleared, I got out and approached the woman.

Me: [fairly calm given the situation] What are you doing?!
Her: [startled and angry] What does it look like I’m doing?!
Me: You are lying in the middle of the road.
Her: So?!
Me: I don’t think it’s a great idea to lie in the middle of a road. I could have run you over!
Her: [Bleep] you. I’m not moving!
Me: [sarcastically] Okay. Have a nice day!

I got back into the car and backed down the road until I found a safe place to park.

I was angry. There are times when people ought to take a stand regardless of the consequences, but this didn't qualify. To me, it was a moment of stubbornness and will, and while the woman didn’t back down, I did.

This story makes me think about the times I know there are things that God is asking of me, and I basically say to Him, “I’m not moving! Yes, I want all of the good things that God has for my life, but I want life to be easy." When it becomes uncomfortable and difficult to obey, I can turn stubborn.

Everyone  has stubborn moments with God. No one is immune. The question is, how can we minimize the times when we won’t budge? I don’t know the complete answer. I wish that I did. “Just say yes to God, whatever the circumstance,” is the right answer, but it's a struggle to carry it out.

The long journey toward consistently saying yes to God through taking small steps. The first small step could be realizing that taking the easy road in life rarely takes you where you want to go or leads you to becoming the person God wants to make you into. Obedience to God is not easy, but whatever pain it brings, it also brings the benefit of molding us more completely into the image of Jesus.

God, give me strength to take a small step when my first response to God is to say, “I’m not moving!” Help me to get up off the road, pick up my blanket, and walk toward Jesus. Amen.