Beautiful Road

The road is beautiful for the person who walks
the road is beautiful for the person who goes 
and beautiful is the road which brings you home 
where they await you.

This is the translation of one of my favorite Italian songs, "La Strada." My CL friends and I sing it often, and it is a beautiful reminder for me of the need to keep moving, to never become stagnant or complacent. It is also a reminder of the community I have been given, a reminder that I never walk alone. Christ has given me wonderful friends who accompany me on this journey. Because that's what life is -- a journey!

The image of life as a road to be traveled has been on my mind a lot lately. This weekend, I worked on a TEC retreat, and the image was used several times by different people in various ways. My favorite, though, was the perfect, much-needed reminder from a friend near the end of the weekend:

"I don't know where all these roads are headed... but God does, and He's using them to prepare me for the road ahead."

When I heard those words, I immediately knew them to be true -- because it has been my own experience as well! Three years ago, there is NO WAY I would have imagined myself where I am now. And to be honest, when I turned onto this fork in the road, I did so quite begrudgingly. But looking back, I see God's fingerprints all over the path, and there is no place I would rather be. I know He has brought me here for a reason, even if I'm not yet sure what all the reasons will be.

I was very grateful for the reminder, though, because lately I have been getting a little frustrated. I don't have any idea where this road is leading. I can't see it yet, but I sense a fork in the road before long, and I'm not exactly sure where to go. Regardless, thought, I can be confident in God's ability to redirect my path and use each step to prepare me for something ahead.

And that, my friends, is a beautiful road!


È bella la strada per chi camina...