And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road. — Matthew 2:12.
Right after Christmas, I found myself sidelined by another one of those minor health hiccups. It wasn’t anything exciting, but it was enough to land me in a hospital bed for a week. One thing about hospitals is that they strip away the distractions of daily life; you are left with a lot of time to simply think and wait on nurses, etc. to wake me up at the worst of times.
As I lay there, I reflected on the lessons this latest “interruption” had to teach me. Much like the Magi in the Gospel of Matthew, I realized that I couldn’t simply go back to the way things were before. I decided that, like them, I would leave this experience “by another road.”
Despite their great wealth and worldly wisdom, the Wise Men were profoundly changed by their journey to the manger. Their encounter with the Christ child didn’t just provide them with a destination; it provided them with a new perspective. They realized that their lives could no longer follow the old maps. They also gained the discernment to see that Herod, despite his outward hospitality, was not their friend.
Sometimes, it takes a “health hiccup” or a significant life event to open our eyes. We realize that our priorities need to shift, and we see that some of the influences or “friends” we once relied on may not have our best interests at heart.
It is a true sign of spiritual maturity to be willing to abandon the familiar path when God reveals a better one. Traveling a different road requires courage, but it is the only way to carry the peace we found at the manger back into our everyday lives.
I hope my fellow “followers of the Pew” will join me in this pursuit—learning to see the world with new eyes and having the wisdom to walk the road God has prepared, rather than the one we’ve always known.
I hope you are feeling better and are taking care of yourself.
If you haven’t watched Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church services, I recommend that you watch the January 3rd service on YouTube. We love our senior pastor, John Robbins’s sermons and they are worth watching. He also had a book published of his sermons. Sunday a new associate minister spoke and it was wonderful.
Take care and know you are in our prayers.
Thanks Phyllis. I’ll take your recommendation to heart. Webb.
I hope you are doing much better by now, Webb.
Taking your advice to heart as we journey through these latter days of life!
Love and very good wishes for the year ahead,
Joanne
I am Joanne. Miss you and your good guidance. Webb