Dirt Road Dad

Growing up, my Dad would take an opportunity on Sunday afternoons to spend time
with me. We would always take his pickup truck where the South GA heat would cause
me to peel the backs of my legs off the fake leather seats before heading into the
convenient store. Root beer and Moon Pies were always a must on our Sunday
adventures. Windows down, we wound our way down dirt roads until we made it to a
forest or pond. Sometimes we would fish and sometimes we would just walk around and
look at what nature had to offer. But the best thing dirt roads afforded, was a chance to
just be together.

I have always loved the Lord. He called me to salvation through Jesus when I was
only nine years old. When I turned 40, my love for Him became something altogether
different. I became a Dirt Road Believer. I had been on the Interstate of Faith for way
too long; passing by scripture like it was a freeway sign. I got just enough direction to
make it to the next exit and then right back on the freeway again. God stirred in me a
desire to depart from the fast-paced style of Christianity I was living. You don’t happen
upon a dirt road, you have to seek it out. Once you are there, you make it a point to
slow down and take in everything along the way.

The Dirt Road Believer is never in the driver seat, but accepts that there is One more
capable of navigating. As you spend time in the passenger seat, you are taught the best
way to maneuver through life. Although the driver knows where every bump is along the
way, He lets you experience them. In His wisdom, He uses bumps along the road to help
prepare you for your purpose.

When I turned off on the dirt road to really spend time in God’s Word, my life
transformed into something I could never have imagined. Each day on my dirt road, I
met God in prayer and in reading His Word. I was surprised and a little ashamed that I
knew so little of my God whom I professed to love so dearly. I began learning His
character and personality and how everything I pass by on the dirt road is His way of
teaching me, loving me and molding me.

Devote time each day to wind down the dirt road of faith with the
Lord. He will be there to meet you every day, whether you keep the appointment or not.
My heart swells when I consider the winding dirt road before you. You will be cooled
under the canopy of oak trees in the shadow of the Almighty and be warmed by His light
when you emerge from under the shade of the mighty oaks. You can rest in the quiet of
the solitude your dirt road provides. The security of having a faithful driver with a perfect
driving record will bring you peace. The breeze on your face will continually refresh you
along the narrow path until at last you reach a gate. Just beyond the gate is the good
shepherd who laid down His life for you. “I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and
my sheep know me – just as the Father knows me and I know the Father – and I lay down my life for the sheep.” John 10:14