The real question that day was which one I would listen to: my adventurous, risk-taking brother-in-law or my conservative, safe father-in-law. We sat, facing the road ahead with a decision: do we take the short route or opt for the longer one?
We had started out that day to visit home-building sites in the Yuma area. My brother-in-law is a contractor in another part of the country and he has constant curiosity about what other builders are doing. My father-in-law built a few homes when he was younger, including the one which Cathy grew up in. That beautiful place has been their home for well over 50 years and still amazes me with its tight doors and windows. Together we went from site to site, walking through houses in various stages of construction. The two of them saw things I didn't and showed me how some builders cut corners while others were building houses to last. It was fascinating, to say the least.
We had ended our tour of new construction near the college and were headed east into the foothills when we literally ran out of road. We could see more new homes about a quarter mile away, a strip of Arizona desert directly in front of us. Tire tracks indicated that someone was driving across that desert, but we couldn't tell if my Honda Accord would make it.
"Maybe we should go around," I said, realizing that we might have to drive two or three miles out of the way to get to the construction zone in front of us. "I think you might be right," my father-in-law quickly agreed. "No use driving out in the middle of that and getting stuck."
"Go for it!" my brother-in-law said with enthusiasm. Those three words have probably been his life's motto; most of the time he has been right. So...
...I went for it. At first, it seemed like the right choice. But, somewhere, right out in the middle of that stretch of desert, the gravel content in the soil gave way to pure sand.
We were stuck almost up to our axles.
Being stuck in a rut is no fun when you're driving somewhere. It's even less fun when you're traveling through life. I find it interesting that God allows ruts to develop in this world...but he never intended for us to stay stuck in one. But how do we get out of our rut? That's the topic this November at Stone Ridge Church. Can't join us? Catch the podcasts here.
Posted with Blogsy
