Your Road is Rough...and the Story Long

Your Road is Rough... and the Story Long.
I was in form 4 back in secondary school when I read the article, or was it a poem written by Dr Tai Solarin of the Mayflower schools tittled  'May your road be rough'. At first it wasn't a good wish taken prima facie. But looking deeper he had in mind the strength and the ruggedness the roughness of life's journey builds in the life's traveller.  To the Christian however, the roughness of the road is beyond a wish, it is a reality, wishing it is a passive statement, the road is already rough before the journey starts and nobody needs to remind a true traveller of the experiences he has daily. Speaking of rough roads. The last kilometre of the road to my house must have been one of the roughest roads in the world and that makes me appreciate daily the different technologies employed in making vehicle suspension systems. I didn't do much of mechanical engineering except the few classes I took in agricultural engineering back then at the university, I remember the lecturer was nicknamed 'sprocket' after one of the parts of a tractor. It was an interesting class though and I learnt lots of things but not much about suspensions and shock absorbers.  Of course now I know the suspension systems of tractors must be about the best available in vehicular development, the reason is obvious, they have been adapted only to rough paths, their roads must be naturally rough. But talking about vehicles with the sole purpose of transportation certain vehicles were made to have better shock absorbers than others. Some are more.adaptable to rough roads than others. The road to my house taught me that. I have had to.suffer shipwreck many times using my rabbit peugeot 306 5 doors whenever the front wheel shaft pulled out and one of the front wheels literally faces some other sides other than where it was designed to face. The rough roads took their toll on it and the poor little car just couldn't withstand nor absorb well to the rough roads it had to go through in our numerous teaching trips. Then we got this BMW 5 series sedan 92 a little while after moving to this new place.we now stay with the last part of the road being very rough. Then I appreciate the tech put into.making that car. For years now, I had not been stopped once due to wheel failure in spite of the very rouh road. And it got me thinking. The Christian journey is one through the roughest road possible and believers reactions ranges between the reaction of the two cars in my story. Some believers without solid preparation for the journey simply break down with the weariness of the pot holes and the death traps.  Their shock absorbers not being able to withstand the horrors of the road. Those shock absorbers weren't made for the Christian race. I forgot to tell you that I had argued so much in times past ignorantly that the road wasn't a rough one but scriptures couldn't support my assertions. They that will live godly in this world will suffer persecution.  The afflictions of the righteous are always many, take it or leave it. The environment of this world wasn't designed to favour Christians who live like Christ, the god of this world will.adequately see to that and the stark truth is that you aren't welcome here except you join the corruption. Then you can enjoy the ride. The truth is thst the road is rough and you need an all wheel drive suspension system and shock absorbers that will insure you get home in fairly good shape without a break down. That's why you are a soldier in the first place and you must endure hardness. If the road you are taking is that recommended by Christ, that is, if it is the narrow and strait one then you need what I am recommending to you. That road is the one that leads home and no matter what lie we have been programmed to believe, it is a rough one.
So what do I do? Abandon the road? Well, there may be other smoother more comfortable roads but they don't lead home to the Father.  Once you veer off you are lost. So what do I do? I need to react to the road by developing a sturdy system of absorption. That is the only way I won't turn back or turn to other roads leading nowhere. If I get touchy and react negatively to every hurt then i'm not ready for the journey. If I break down at every pothole will I ever arrive? The peril of non believers and that of fake brothers are part of the roughness. The roughness is basicaly human and they are targetted at pulling out my wheels from the hinges just like what the angels did to the Egyptians' chariots' wheels at the red sea. When I react negatively to insults my shock absorbers are bad. When I feel frustrated with the hurts of Samballats and Tobias then my suspensions are worn out. Oh but does Christianity make me a fool? Such questions make my wheel shake and are ready to throw me off balance. Since Jesus is made for me wisdom I am only wise when I obey him and not when I retaliate, take revenge or react with a bad attitude. Christianity on the way home promises insults, spitting ons, shipwrecks, evil invasioms and so on but I know my stability is in Christ and not in any self defence tactic that wont deter my enemies. The tactic of the enemy is to get me angry and frustrated to catch me unawares. He is throwing stones at me to get me to say the wrong word, he will taunt me to lengths to get that wrong reactions that will nail me, what of the sin of Ballaam? Oh, you can't curse someone God hasn't cursed and God will not curse except he sees iniquity in Israel.  Is that so?  Then let's throw iniquity into Israel and his God himself will fight him. That is the device of the enemy I should not be ignorant of. So I put on my shock absorber ready to take whatever thrown at me either from friends or foes. I will not let my anger get to sin, I will suffer long enough to get home. I am sure there will be parts of the road muddied with pride enough to swallow my vehicle but my traction of humility must be strong to absorb the softness and create movement. I must be aware of pride on this journey. I must be aware of the lust of the flesh and its rollercoaster bumps and deeps that was designed to tears vehicles apart and render the journey over. Rollercoaster could be sweet at the amusement parks but on the journey of life the sweetness of the bump and deeps and the momentary pleasure of fornication and adultery are meant to kill. There will be turns and twists of the lust of the eyes. They were meant to get me into the rat race that never ends. As insatiable as human's wants are so unending is the trust in money and in living for material possessions. It will never end. I must learn to live both in plenty and in not being enough, I must be instructed to be content in whatever situation, I must learn to remain  faithful and true to the journey in the face of  the roughness of needs and wants that seem un-meetable or the false sense of not having enough in the face of societal material competition. The shock absorber this road needs is absolute trust and dependence on Christ the captain of the ship. There is no need shouting and crying  'Master, carest thou not that we perish?' If we can only rest at the keel of his bossom, underneath are the everlasting arms and his peace shall calm the storms. If I depend on him enough, then the roughness will not trouble me, the insults will not reach me, the false accusations will not bother me,  the negative suspicions will touch me, the misunderstandings of my good intentions will not deter me, the negative responses to my good and sincere overtures will not stop me from going on doing the will of the Father. If I depend and trust enough I wont have to retaliate or react negatively. If I depend and trust enough I will absorb wrong suffered into his account, vengeace is his and my wrath would not work the righteousness of God. I have realised that the road is rough but I'm focused and determined to get home with minimal hurts, I wont let them stop me. The road is surely rough and the article long but the I will endure to the end and I shall be saved at last. I speak for you too, you shall not disappear on the way as smoke...he will take us all home. Happy trucking even today, Good morning!
Feel free to rebroadcast this to all your contacts, let the blessing go round. Good morning.