Lori's thoughts

I’m sure many of us this summer will be taking “road trips.” Along the way, depending on how far we have to go, we most likely will hit some road construction. This can be frustrating when we come to a line of cars that are completely stopped and we wonder how long we will have to wait.

We may have to take a detour following signs to get us back on track or follow a pilot car to lead us through the bumpy, winding road changes.

Life is kind of like that. Just when we think things are going fine, we encounter “detours” or “road blocks” that do not fit into our schedule or were unforeseen inconveniences or bumps that rock our already complex life.

This is when we may get stopped for a reason and there are questions we struggle with and the answers we find will determine major life choices, habits and beliefs for ourselves and especially for our children. Believe me, children are crying out for these answers more so than adults.

So when we come to a fork in the road, how will we answer the following questions for ourselves and especially for our children? The world we live in has already given some easy answers as to which direction to take in life. They are in parenthesis next to the questions:

Who am I? (It’s all about you. Be whoever you want to be.)
What’s true? (Whatever. Remember, it’s about you.)
Who really cares? (Nobody, really.)
Who believes in me? (Whoever can use you.)
Where do I fit in? (With people you can get to like you.)
Why am I here? (To get what you want.)

The answers we give to ourselves and to our children really are the road maps by which we live, but that won’t guarantee we avoid road construction and it won’t guarantee we end up at the right destination in life. It will guarantee opportunities for teachable moments with our children as we stop and have time to reflect.

For me, I like to think that God is my Pilot Car for life. He says “follow me” and promises to lead the way and provide me with answers through life’s questions, decisions, trials and difficulties. Whenever I follow a pilot car through a road construction zone, I remember to thank God that He will always be ahead of me showing me which way to go and allowing me to safely arrive at my final destination - heaven. How I get there is more important than when I get there.