There are three youth groups coming from the Big City of
St. Louis to float the beautiful jewel of the Current River
this weekend. They will sleep at our church and we will
host a BBQ at our house for them Saturday night. My dear
niece Annie will be one of those coming.

It reminds me of the way Kent and I felt when we first moved
here (to Don...I mean Mayberry) from the Big City. We were
just like two kids. Everytime we opened our windows
and heard the frogs and crickets it seemed that we were at
summer camp. For years, everytime I drove home from
town, I would absolutely gloat over the country roads I was
privileged to travel. I guess I must be a native now because
most times these things seem normal to me now.

A few days ago, though, I was paying special attention to the
winding, twisting road I was driving on and the thought came
to me that driving down a country road is much like traveling
through life. There is a destination, but we can't see it. All
we can see is what is between us and the next hill, or between
us and the next curve. What is over the hill, what is beyond
the curve is out of our realm of knowledge. We trust the road,
though, to get us where we need to go.

We know God has a plan for our lives. He sees the entire route,
even though we may be stymied by the steep hill we are
climbing or the sharp curve that throws us for a loop.

Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good
to those who love God, to those who are the called
according to His purpose.

There have been times, driving down the two lane highway that
lead to my gravel, when the fog has been so thick I had to truly
creep along. Only a few feet were visible in the headlights of my
car. God doesn't always give us a grand vision for our future.
(I am speaking in human terms of what to do with our life,
who to marry, where to live etc.). But He always illuminates
the next few feet for us. The path is laid out in Scripture for
us.

Deuteronomy 5:32
Therefore you shall be careful to do as the Lord your
God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside
to the right hand or to the left.

In the commentary, titled "The Wisdom and Will of God" in
my "New Geneva Study Bible" there is this quote.

It is sometimes difficult, even impossible, for mortal
humans to understand how obedience, putting us
at a disadvantage in the world, is part of a predestined
plan of furthering both God's glory and our good
(Rom. 8:28). But we glorify God by believing that
it is so, because He who cannot lie has said it. One
day we will see it to be so, because His wisdom is
perfect and never fails.