At The Cross Road

           There are several places along the routes my husband and I take when we travel that includes areas where there is a “round about.”  Call it silly, but I completely enjoy those small spaces which require we slow down and think about what we are doing.  There are so many options and it’s necessary to yield to oncoming traffic.  I was delighted when in a small town near us, a new “round about” was put in to moderate traffic, without adding another traffic light.  

 

            My husband isn’t as big a fan as I, of the new traffic pattern.  He isn’t crazy about traffic lights, but “round abouts” aren’t his favorite things either.  There is something about a cross roads. There are three options; left, right, or straight ahead.  You must either stop for a “stop sign” or for a traffic light.  Out West there are a lot more “four way stop signs,” than in the East which seems to regulate traffic quite adequately.  But then, there is a lot less traffic there than in the East, and that helps!  

 

Each person, in the case of 'four way stops', must wait his turn before proceeding.  But if there is the person who comes to the stop sign and doesn’t recognize the “order” of things, it can cause all kinds of issues.  He can’t seem to decide when “it’s his turn!”  This creates several cars attempting to go at once, since the natural rotation is broken.  Once a commitment is made, it can cause an accident if everyone isn’t paying attention.   

 

The cross at Calvary is another place where decisions are made and commitments created.  When Jesus sacrificed his life on the cross, it was for everyone’s sins.  He made the choice, and was committed to being the perfect sacrifice.  He told those present, who He was, refusing to “sit on the fence;” facing his suffering, head on.

 

When we kneel at the cross, it is a crossroad, not a “round about.”  We are making a choice to answer His call.  We are required to face our challenges, but we are never alone.  Each decision we face, we can know there is guidance from the Holy Spirit.  

 

Attempting to remain “neutral” and not make a decision, is really a decision.  It’s not accepting Christ as the Savior he is.  Our culture today encourages everyone to be tolerant of all beliefs and even of those who have “no belief.”  “Tolerance” is a gray area.  God calls us to be kind and even loving to those who do not believe in Him as the God of the universe.  Yet, to turn our backs on Him to “believe” in something else, places us at a cross road, as well.

 

Jesus was willing to give his life for mine, and yours.  If you are at a cross road in deciding what or who to believe in, then I encourage you to remember what Jesus said when he was being questioned before going to the cross.  He is the Christ.

Picture:  Israel--Garden of Gethsemane