What I wanted to Be when I grew up and how I got my wish.

Scripture Verse that caught my attention today: Isaiah 57:14 It shall be said,
“Build up, build up, prepare the way,
remove every obstruction from my people’s way.”

Observation: Preparing the way takes time and effort.

Application: I commute a little over 30 minutes to church and at least four different routes are available to me of similar distance. Usually I take the new US 30 for the bulk of the drive.

It took a while for the new US 30 to be completed. A staggering amount of stone, concrete, and asphalt was used. Engineers made certain that the road was built up high, helping water to more easily run off and snow to more easily blow off (or be plowed off). It’s a very nice road and makes for a very pleasant commute.

Some people know that when I was a little child I wanted to be a road construction worker. I even got into a heated argument with my grandmother over the idea. She said I should be a pastor. I said I should be a road construction worker. Back and forth we went.

Years later, when I was ordained, another passage from Isaiah was chosen for my ordination service that included Isaiah 40:3-4 (“In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain…”)

The preacher for the occasion, Dr. Walter (Wally) F. Taylor, Jr., reminded me that as a new pastor I was like a road construction worker, called to prepare the way, but the Lord would be the one to lead the people.

Preparing the way as a pastor takes time and patience and planning and sometimes even a little engineering on the fly. It’s basically a lot of work—even a life’s endeavor. But in a way, Grandma and I each got our wish.

Of course, I’m not alone in this endeavor. There are a multitude of other people who have been, are, or will be helping to prepare the way as well. And someday, since our Lord has already gone the way of the cross, I trust that the Lord will have a much more pleasant journey to see us and then, ultimately, take his people home.

Prayer: Lord, thanks for allowing so many to join together in preparing the way for you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(Readings today included: Isaiah 57-59, Psalm 103, and 2 Peter 3)