Life Lessons From A Road Trip
By Colin Stewart

A couple of weeks ago, I was driving home from Canora, Saskatchewan, to Regina.  My wife and I had gone up together on Saturday afternoon.  We were driving home in seperate vehicles, because her parents loaned us their second vehicle.  She was driving it, I was in our truck.  Between Yorkton and Mellville, I found myself getting tired. So, as I started to talk with You, I started counting off milestones. So many miles to the next major town. So many miles to Regina. I've drawn the parallell before between life and a road trip (article life lessons learned through a thunderstorm). Tonight, I learned another valuable lesson.

As we live life, we do count off milestones, but not in the same way as I did tonight on a road trip. We see each year of age as a negative thing. We're getting older. We're that much further from the starting line. Age isn't the only milestone we count.  We graduate from highschool.  We graduate from university.  We begin our career.  We get married.  We have children.  Our children grow up.  Our children get married, and have children of their own.  Each of these are important milestones in our lives.  They are achievements, accomplishments.  They are signs of how far we've come.

Next time you're driving down the highway, pay attention.  That night, I marked a milestone at Yorkton.  I marked a milestone at Mellville.  I marked a milestone at Balcarres.  I marked milestones at every highway sign that marked the distance to the next major town, or to Regina.  Here's the thing, though:  I didn't see one sign that said I was so many miles from Canora.  That's the valuable lesson I learned from this road trip.

We should be counting milestones the other way. Yes, we're getting older. I will turn 37, in December. However, I'm 37 years closer to eternity than I was when I was born, not 37 years further from the starting line. What a difference in perspective.

As I drove, between Mellville and Balcarres, I thought about stopping for the night at the lake. However, as I drove, and talked to You, You spurred me on towards the goal. I didn't stop at the lake. In fact, I made good time coming home, and pulled into the driveway around 10:30.  How much more should we do the same thing in life.  Are you in a rough spot, right now?  Maybe you lost your job.  Maybe you've been living on one income for the past six months, when you're used to living on two incomes.  Maybe your marriage is falling apart.  Maybe your parents are terminally ill.  Maybe your friend conned you into allowing him to move into your basement because he had nowhere else to go,.and then turned on you.  Maybe you, or your wife,. were in a bad car accident.  Maybe one of your children was born with a severely debilitating disability, and every day you watch them suffer.  The question is, how do we cope with all of these very real circumstances of life?  Are you living with some of the circumstances I mentioned?  Are you feeling lost because of what is going on in your life?

That night, driving home, that's exactly how I was feeling.  I was feeling lost.  I don't feel lost anymore, though.  Why?  Because I talked to the creator of the universe.  I took a road trip, and counted milestones along the way.  I counted off miles towards home,. not miles away from where I'd been.  I came to understand that I need to do the same thing in life.  I need to mark off milestones away from the finish line, not the starting line.

Let's take another look at those milestones we talked about earlier, and put them in this new found perspective.  If you are turning 30 today, you are thirty years closer to heaven.  If you are graduating from highschool, or university, congratulations, that's quite an accomplishment!  You have reached a major milestone on your way home.  Is your son getting married, today?  Are you getting ready to walk your daughter down the aisle?  Congratulations!  Your children have been brought up well, and you have reached another milestone on your way home.

You see, life isn't about getting old.  It's not about making money, raising children, having grandchildren.  It's a journey.  Where are you going on your journey?  If you know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, then you are going home, to Heaven.  Revelation 21 tells us that when we get home, we will never suffer again.  We'll never cry, we will not ever mourn.  We won't feel pain.  I don't know about you, but I can't wait for that day.  I can't wait to stand before my Jesus and see Him face to face.  I can't wait to cross the finish line.

If you don't have that same hope that I have, there is another article on this website that explains how you can have this hope.  You will see a link to it over on the left side.