by Jennie Dyer
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
II Timothy 4:7
“I can’t stop now. I’m afraid we will get stuck if I do. I have to keep moving forward.” When my husband said these words, I did the only thing I knew to do: pray.
Cody, my husband, had preached at a church about four hours from our home. The night service was wonderful, but we were ready to travel home when church was dismissed. I had the GPS ready with our directions. The pastor spoke to us before we left giving us a few directions of how best to get home. Cody assumed the GPS was leading us down the same roads when we pulled out just a few minutes later. How wrong we were!
The paved road turned into a dirt road almost immediately in the darkness of night. There had been massive rainfalls in that area in previous days. Flood watch signs had been posted on many roads. I quickly realized this dirt road was a mud bath with water literally standing in it. My SUV is not a 4 wheel drive so I made the suggestion we turn around. I am usually the one to panic or think the worst in situations so I was surprised to hear concern in Cody’s voice when he told me he had to keep driving. Our cell phone was without service, the road was probably a farm road due to no soul being in sight, and I had my babies in the backseat. We began to earnestly pray as we continued to drive forward, and we finally made it to another paved road. It was truly only God who helped us with the amount of water that flooded the one lane dirt road. I remember us just praising God when we made it back onto the main road.
We thought we had everything under control since the GPS was leading us. Spiritually I look at my life, and I think about how sometimes I really believe I have everything just under control. Then, life happens, and I end up on a dirt road that appears to be almost impassable. Life most certainly happened for all of us in March of 2020 when we were supposed to shut down as a country for just two weeks time. That two weeks passed into a year of dealing with the COVID-19 Pandemic. All of us have been on a barren one lane road together.
I began to search my heart and life last March when I realized the severity of the situation concerning the pandemic. Attending church as I was originally used to was not an option, and although I appreciated the virtual and drive in services, it honestly just wasn’t the same. I longed for normalcy. I realized my need for God on a truly personal level. In this disconnected time, I began to do all I knew to do- fast and pray. The road was looking rough, but I knew I had to keep moving forward if I was going to spiritually survive. Turning around or just stopping was not an option.
Some of us are on flooded dirt roads financially, spiritually, physically, emotionally, and even mentally. I want to encourage you to keep the faith. Do the things you know to do: read God’s word, pray, fast, and attend church to the best of your ability. God not only helped me survive this past year, but He helped me to thrive in victory over some things in my life. When we seek God in sincerity, His desires will become our desires, His thoughts-our thoughts, His will-our will. If He did it for me, I know He will do the same for you. The Bible tells us in Galatians 6:9, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” The end of our road may be near, let’s keep driving to find out!
