
I love to travel. I don’t care where I am going, but I enjoy seeing new places and learning new things. There is something about a long road stretching ahead that excites me and invites discovery. I particularly like winding country roads. There is always something interesting around every bend. I enjoy traveling with husband, especially when we bring along his motorcycle and we can enjoy some of those back roads. I like being able to smell the air, clothes drying in a dryer, cow patties in a field, mown grass or BBQ smoke and imagine the stories that revolve around those things. When husband and I travel, we are often solitary. Comfortable with each other and no need for making up conversation, we can ride for miles in the quiet. I don’t know what he thinks, but I am usually making up tales in my mind. I see someone and wonder who they are and create a life for them. Someday, I am going to write them all down. Sometimes though, we travel with friends. Having another couple along throws a new dynamic in the mix. There is usually more laughter, more discussion over where we will stop for dinner, more excitement as we have someone to share the experience with. Sometimes for a change, it is nice to have friends along for the ride. I imagine some of that same feeling as these two friends walked down the road talking about all that had happened. I know that they consoled each other about Jesus’ death, wondered if the disciples were telling the truth about his resurrection, remembered all Jesus’ miracles and all He had taught them. But, like sometimes happens when friends get together, the intensity of what they were feeling might have multiplied with the conversation. They could have egged each other on, one trying to top the other, emotions swirling as they tossed around theories and suppositions. And then, a third person joined in, asking questions and offering insight into their situation. He brought clarity to all of their thoughts. It was not until He joined them for supper and repeated His actions from Passover just a few nights before, “Taking the bread, He blessed and broke and gave it to them,” that they understood that it was Jesus. Then, they could not wait until they could go and share with the disciples what they had seen. Part of being a Christian is having good friends to share experiences with, to encourage each other, to hold each other accountable to do right. But, as with all human relationships, we sometimes miss what is most important unless Jesus walks beside us as well. We can count upon Him to reveal the truth. Not stories that we make up, but the real meaning of life and its experiences. On the road of life, we need good friends for company, but most of all, we need Jesus who knows us inside and out. Share Him with someone today.
Leave a Reply