The advent of our God
Our prayers must now employ,
And we must meet Him on His road
With hymns of holy joy.
~ The Advent of Our God
Meeting Jesus on the road. This is an image that I often find difficult to reflect upon. The main reason, if I’m being completely honest, is that I often do not meet much good on the road. Instead, I meet someone I would rather not encounter: Mr. Road Rage.
I have to confess that I have to bottle up a lot of emotions when I am on the road. Sometimes, it seems like driving is a stress test all its own. The people who cut me off, who run stop signs or stoplights, who do not watch out for pedestrians: these are all people who make my blood boil. If I allow it to get out of hand, it could definitely color my day in a negative way and I might fail to recognize positive encounters with others.
We are “on the road” each day in one way, shape, or form. We encounter people at their best and, sometimes, at their worst. We are called to look upon them with love, mercy, and compassion. The same love, mercy, and compassion that is shown to us by God each day.
It is more difficult to do when we focus solely upon ourselves. We need to remind ourselves that we are on the road together, that other people have been placed in our lives, and that encounters with others are also encounters with the Lord as we meet Him on the road.
FAITH ACTION: Do your best to be open to all you meet today so that you may show them the love of God and perhaps even receive the love of God from another.