Keys to the Kingdom

I was headed in the right direction, but when I spotted the detour and roadblock signs alongside the highway, I had to turn north and follow the detour route. I was then driving in the wrong direction to get where I needed to go and there were no more signs to direct me. The GPS didn’t have a grip on reality and kept telling me to return to the main highway with a non-existing bridge. It quickly became obvious that I couldn’t trust the GPS to get me to my destination. I was getting nowhere and I needed to talk to a real person who understood my dilemma, knew the countryside, and could direct me to a  sensible route. There was simply no way to get from here to there without human help.

Fortunately, I found a welcoming farmhouse and pulled in under a shade tree. A kindly man wearing denim overalls greeted me in the backyard. Although I was smiling, I’m sure I had a lost look on my face. As I shook his firm and rough farmer’s hand, he pretty-much knew my problem before I told him. Since he knew the area like the back of his hand, he told me how to beat the detour at its own annoying game. He gave me concise directions, which consisted of four turns on gravel roads, and then I was back on the road again. I finally arrived in Parsons after losing 40 minutes of time and fuel — but I got there because someone cared enough to point me in the right direction.

There are occult and false-religion books that offer alternative ways to navigate through life. Some individuals read them because they’re truly searching for answers, and some read them out of sheer curiosity. But dabbling in the evil spiritual abyss is a dangerous detour because it opens the door to demonic influence.

There is a broad divergence of opinions regarding gods, the true God, and living life in general. Earthlings simply can’t follow our own map and expect to get to heaven. The only true authority on spiritual beliefs and life issues is God’s Word. I once heard a pastor say this great one liner: “Whatever the Bible says, that’s my opinion.” God’s Word carries authority, weight, and power. It’s the believer’s foundation for everything on earth and in heaven, and it will be the last Book standing. “Heaven and earth will disappear, but My words will never disappear” (Mark 13:31 NLT).

Christ followers, who’ve found the one and only way to God, need to keep a sharp eye out for lost people who are needing someone to extend a hand of hope to them. The only way to make it to heaven is through Jesus. Many people are wondering, “How do I get to heaven from here?” Some think that “all roads lead to heaven.” But Jesus explicitly said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me. There is more than enough room in My Father’s Home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?” (John 14:6,2 NLT). By reaching out to those who have spiritual and real-life needs, we open a door for God to work in their lives. A genuine love walk with Jesus is a lot more than words on a cool t-shirt. It’s a weighty realization that the only Bible some people ever read is you and me.

The Key:  Jesus is the mercy bridge between here and there. Our job is to lovingly point the lost in the right direction so they can get to the other side.

“Dave, it has to be on your end,” I said, patiently.

“Patty, I want you to turn off your phone and turn it on again.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because I can call everyone except you.  My calls go directly to your Voicemail.”

“So why couldn’t that be your phone’s fault?  You’re in Mexico.  I’m in the United States.  Chances are, I have better reception than you have. After all, my calls go through to you; yours don’t come through to me.”

This went on for a few days.  In that time, I, a submissive wife, followed Dave’s advice and turned my phone off and back on. No success.  Dave’s email let me know that he couldn’t figure out why I didn’t answer his texts.  “Because I never got them,” I answered

This was not going well.

I called Dave.  “I will visit Verizon to see if this is my phone’s fault,” I said, trying to be a good team player, even though I was positive this problem was his phone, not mine.

“Great. Unless you’ve blocked me, there has to be a problem coming from the carrier.”

“Or you,” I added.

How silly of him to say, “Unless you’ve blocked me.” Who would block their spouse? Just to make sure I wasn’t responsible for this disaster, however, I checked my contact list.

Sure as shootin’, he was blocked.

Desperate measures were needed.  How could I make Dave think that he was responsible?  Was it possible for him to block himself?  I think not.

“Well, what do you know, Honey?  You were blocked. Ha-ha. I have no idea how that happened.”

Dave then reminded me that I had blocked three other friends in the past few months.  Like this was an epidemic or something.

Anyway, we worked it out, but as I thought about how easy it was to block someone unintentionally, I considered how I sometimes do it intentionally, like ignoring a phone call or a text because I just want to be alone.

But what if I block God?  Like when I feel His nudging to do something kind that day, but I’m too tired or too irritable or too insensitive to obey.

Yes, I do that, but my New Year’s resolution is to listen to Him purposefully and do what He says.

This morning, I felt God telling me to be kind to someone I didn’t know.  I was flying from K.C. to Florida, and I had gotten little sleep, but I was determined to obey.

I won’t list here all the things that went wrong, but I still had opportunities to help.

At ticketing, I traded places with a man who was late for his flight.  Going through security, I overheard a mother instructing her teenage son on what to do while traveling alone.  I assured her that I would get her son to the right gate…which I would have, had I not been pulled out of line because I had five ounces of sun screen in my carry bag instead of the three allowed. Ultimately, I caught up with him and assured him he was at the right gate. He looked at me like I was a nut-case.

While boarding, I noticed a young girl standing by herself.  I struck up a conversation with her.  She was “really nervous” as she never had flown alone before, so I told her that I would wait for her when we deplaned and get her to her next flight.  She seemed thankful when I ushered her through the airport, although she seemed to know exactly what she was doing.

Still, not bad for one day. Let’s just hope I can say the same at the end of 2023.