Poop, Potholes. Blindspots. What do these have in common? Well for one, they applied to our family road trip taken a couple of weeks ago.
That morning we hit the road at 5am to make it for the 6:45am Wild Bird Walk at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat.
The destination and experiences encountered (hand feeding local birds, Treetop Walkway etc) was breathtakingly beautiful. However, the journey there and back, while certainly breath taking - as in, taking one’s breath away in a not-so-nice way - was anything but beautiful.
For over an hour, as we gradually ascended the mountain road, we had a number of threatening and treacherous moments.
the road was extremely winding with a number of blind curves having to be navigated at a snail’s pace 10 km/h;
In many instances the road was only wide enough for one vehicle. Every so often one would round a bend only to have to slam on the brakes due to a vehicle travelling in the opposite direction. Someone had to give in and stand still or dash for one of the rare roadside clearings so that the other vehicle could pass.
With minimal fencing in place, the signboard that read ‘Beware of Livestock’ soon became a reality as we encountered a herd of cows smack bang in the middle of the road. Needless to say, where there are cows, there’s cow poop…huge patties of dung freely flung across the road.
As if all of the above was not ‘crappy’ enough…we soon discovered that potholes were just another obstacle to be avoided on this tricky road, where one miscalculated manoeuvre would place us in the same category as the famous ‘Jack and Jill’ who found that ‘fetching a pale of water’ was followed by the calamitous consequence of ‘falling down’ and ‘tumbling after’.
Reflecting on all of these synchronous events on our journey that day, I’m reminded of the journey of life that we are all on where the road at times is anything but smooth.
We know we are headed to destination that will be worth it all, but the aforementioned road leading thereto is frought with frenetic frenzy, frustration and fear.
While the livestock may be absent, the presence of poop is not. At times the smelliest situations are encountered; the messiest of moments endured.
Just when one believes the road to be clear, around the next bend lies in wait another unwelcome hindrance hampering positive forward movement.
Despite all these unknowns, it’s those things that ARE known that we can hold onto, to name a few:
we are NOT ALONE as we navigate those mountain roads in life - “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deut 31:8)
we have a destination, the glories of which far outweigh the temporary troubles of the present (2 Corinthians 4:17)
Of course there are many more certainties that can be listed as we navigate those uncertainties in life.
So, are you faced with POOP and POTHOLES? Just keep moving forward. One foot in front of the other. Slow down if you have to. Pause if you need to, but just keep putting one step in front of the other and move forward, keeping your eyes on the prize - the destination will be well worth it!
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