I started this series 10 days ago after listening to a series from my pastor called Road Trip: The Road We Take. I was quite moved by the message and the other messages that he has done in this series the last couple of weeks.
If you haven’t read the previous posts you can find them below:
Part 1 – http://www.lifetosuccess.com/2010/09/19/the-road-trip-of-life-part-1/
Part 2 – http://www.lifetosuccess.com/2010/09/20/the-road-trip-of-life-part-2/
Part 3 – http://www.lifetosuccess.com/2010/09/21/the-road-trip-of-life-part-3/
Part 4 – http://www.lifetosuccess.com/2010/09/22/the-road-trip-of-life-part-4/
Part 5 – http://www.lifetosuccess.com/2010/09/26/the-road-trip-of-life-part-5/
Part 6 – http://www.lifetosuccess.com/2010/09/27/the-road-trip-part-6/
Part 7 – http://www.lifetosuccess.com/2010/09/28/the-road-trip-of-life-part-7-obstacle-part-1s/
Part 8 – http://www.lifetosuccess.com/2010/09/29/the-road-trip-of-life-part-8-obstacles-part-2/
Let me tell you a little bit about how I have gotten to this point in life before I get to the last obstacle on the Road Trip of Life. I have been a proponent of personal development for many years, approximately 25 years.
It started for me shortly after I graduated high school. By all the testing that was done while I was growing up, the results always came back that I was always smarter than my grade level by several years. Thankfully my parents made sure that I started reading early and always put books in my way.
Shortly after my parents got divorced and my father left, I lost interest in school and really didn’t apply myself to school and my grades dropped, passing but certainly not up to my capability.
After I graduated, I became very anxious about my future and I did not know in what direction I wanted to go. My mother didn’t quite know what to do with me so we turned to the church for suggestions and they directed me the Diocese to speak with a nun who had a degree in psychology. She turned me on to books on personal development and I started to devour these books.
From there I developed my skills and every job that I took from that point forward, I was promoted quickly and helped the organizations that I worked for reach their goals but I always felt empty. Like I was missing something.
I held the jobs for for about 7 or 8 years often leaving because I didn’t feel challenged anymore still with an empty feeling.
Within the last couple of years, this emptiness has really weighed on me quite heavily.
All that time I was also a talk radio fan. I enjoyed listening to Rush Limbaugh and the local talk show host in the MA area. Then a couple of years ago, Glenn Beck was put on the radio and I thought he was funny and I liked his political views but over the last year his message changed… A LOT!
He started pointing out things that were not quite right with the country and it started to scare me a little. Again I was feeling very empty.
In the same time frame, I had a very good friend of mine whose life has changed dramatically over the last couple of years and in great ways. He was a member of a church in my area and was really starting to get involved. Don’t get me wrong he still has his ups and downs but he handles them with a lot more peace then he used to.
Listening to Glenn Beck, he started to talk about a rally that he was planning to have on 8/28/2010 in Washington, DC called Restoring Honor. I immediately felt compelled to go, there was no doubt that I had to be there.
But as the time grew near, I started to see that I was not going to have the resources to go to this event. And that is when the first miracle happened. My partner, Tracy, who is probably one of the most caring people in the world. knew I wanted to go and without my knowledge had orchestrated everything for us to go and attend this event.
It was one of the most moving events that I have ever experienced. And the message that changed the way I thought about things was… “We need to turn back to God and the principles that founded this great country.”
At that point… I knew what I was missing. I was missing… GOD!
Which leads me to the last obstacle on our Road Trip of Life…
God, Himself!
Tests by God!
I realized that I was trying to do this all on my own, not giving much thought to my Creator! Not giving much thought as to why he put me on this planet.
Trying to go it… Alone!
The reason why God will throw roadblocks in front of us is to test our resolve. To see where our hearts truly are.
Walking without God, I found my health… a mess!
I found my finances… a mess!
I found myself… a mess!
We need to recognize the difference between a “solution” and the “right path”.
When we look for solutions, we are looking for quick fixes to problems that were created from us being on the wrong path. The only way to truly get to where we want to go is by changing the direction of our thoughts and the actions we take.
Without changing those two things, in that order, we will continue to experience the same result over and over again. And this is the test by God! And He will let you continue to walk down that path until YOU change your direction. This is what is called “FREE” will.
The major key to over coming all the obstacles on the Road Trip of Life is to get on the “right path” and stay the course!
We will never get to the “right destination” by being on the “wrong path”, this is insanity and where many of us find ourselves day in and day out.
I encourage you to turn to God to help you get on the “right path”.
As Always, Here’s to Your LifetoSuccess,
John Clark