A Road to Walk

We all walk roads in this life.

Some roads promise acceptance.

Some whisper of love.

Others glitter with the hope of wealth, influence, or significance.

Yet we are only pilgrims passing through this world.

"Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles..." (1 Peter 2:11).

Our lives are but a breath, a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes (James 4:14). Compared with the endless glory of eternity, our journey here is only a whisper carried by the wind.

And yet, how often we forget.

We rush ahead, convinced that arriving first somehow makes us greater. We step over those who have fallen, believing their delay will somehow hasten our own success. We measure ourselves against one another, comparing blessings, victories, and recognition as though heaven were keeping score by earthly applause.

Sometimes we even steal another person's joy because we have forgotten how to cultivate our own.

One of the saddest realities I have witnessed is our unwillingness to let someone else simply stand in the sunlight of God's grace. When another rejoices, we often feel compelled to outshine them, to tell a bigger story, to prove a greater accomplishment, or to reclaim the attention. Beneath so much of this striving lies a quiet hunger to be accepted by people whose approval can never truly satisfy.

But Scripture reminds us, "The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe" (Proverbs 29:25).

I often think about Saul before he became Paul.

As he traveled the road to Damascus, he believed he was doing the work of God. He was zealous. He was passionate. He was convinced he was defending truth. Perhaps, beneath it all, he longed for the approval of those around him who celebrated his persecution of the followers of Christ.

Then heaven interrupted his journey.

A light brighter than the sun surrounded him, and the risen Savior asked,

"Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" (Acts 9:4).

What a sobering question.

Saul thought he was serving God, yet he was wounding the very people Christ loved. His zeal had become greater than his compassion. His mission had overshadowed the heart of the One he claimed to serve.

I wonder how often we do the same.

As Christians, we can become so consumed with doing the work of God that we forget to love the people of God. We become so focused on ministry that we overlook the hurting person standing right in front of us. We become so determined to defend truth that we neglect to display grace.

Jesus never stepped over people to accomplish His mission.

He stopped for the blind.

He touched the leper.

He spoke with the outcast.

He welcomed the children.

He ate with sinners.

He wept with those who mourned.

He never sacrificed compassion on the altar of accomplishment.

Perhaps that is the road we are called to walk.

Not the road that earns applause.

Not the road that wins the admiration of the crowd.

Not the road that seeks acceptance from people whose opinions fade with time.

Instead, we are called to walk the narrow road that leads to life (Matthew 7:13-14), fixing our eyes on Jesus, "the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2).