Riding Shotgun with Jesus

A sign on the side of the road as I drove home the other day.

There are a lot of people in the world that don't believe in God.  Some of these people believe in other things.  One of these "things" they might believe in is SIGNS.  I happen to believe in God, Jesus, AND signs.  I believe he speaks to us all using whatever resources he has available at the time.  Some people are just too busy listening to other things that are speaking more loudly and therefore miss the message that Jesus is trying to tell them.   This is honestly one of the reasons I love to travel solo.  I especially love long road trips by myself.  You see, I am never ALONE.  When I am by myself, I am just really riding shotgun with Jesus.  He always drives my car (well, NOT literally).  He is right there with me and we get to have one on one time without any distractions.  I play my praise and worship playlist while we ride and soak in all the beauty around me.  I am FULLY focused on him and his goodness and all the beauty that he has given us.  The further I drive, the more my gas tank empties.  The funny thing is, as my gas runs out, my soul fills up.  My INNER gas tank gets filled UP as my literal gas tank empties out.   This got me thinking.  In order to receive blessings in life, you have to be willing to give something up.  It's really that simple.  I know a lot of people that do nothing but complain about their life.  They don't like it, they want a better one, BUT they are not willing to give up CONTROL of their life in order to receive it.  These are the people that confuse me the most.  They are UNHAPPY with their current life.  They feel like it is out of control, yet, they want to retain control of it.  Even as it spirals down the drain.  You would think these people would be lining up, sleeping on the sidewalk overnight to exchange their life for a better one.  They are living it in the nosebleed section and have a golden opportunity to trade in that "cheap seat" for a front row, VIP, ALL ACCESS ticket to the greatest show on Earth!  But, they hold stubbornly onto their ticket--their LIFE--and refuse to trade it in for a better one.  All because they paid for it.  They own it.  They have a right to be miserable and they will if they want to.  But who, in their right mind, really WANTS to be miserable?? Not me!  I prefer to go through this journey of life with a JOYFUL spirit.  I choose to share my journey with others and hopefully get them to wander over to my sunny side of the street.  Yes, there are clouds and darkness out there.  But behind the clouds and storms, there is a bright and sunny sky just waiting to be seen!  I want to share my glasses with you so you can see beyond the cloudy skies and see the  mostly sunny sky behind it.  In order to do that though, you have to be willing to give him the keys to your car and just ride shotgun!  I promise, the journey from HIS passenger side seat is WAY BETTER than any other one from your drivers seat!

Because I am really trying to write shorter posts, this will conclude todays message--YAY!!! I'm all about changing the negative meaning of things and since I am considered an old dog, I aim to show that you can teach me NEW tricks!  However, if you are thirsty for more of this topic, you can read some longer ramblings at the following:

Thankful Thursday
2013 Final Thoughts and New Beginnings
Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner
It's Googe versus God on Superbowl Sunday
Anniversary Joy Ride with Anna