By the Side of the Road

By Susan K. Smith

Traveling along Highway 101 inspires awe of ebony rocks and crashing waves. Traveling with those you love inspires joy from simple pleasures of sourdough bread and Marionberry jam. Traveling along lifes journey with Jesus inspires peace and beauty. These devotionals will encourage the reader to respond to the Scriptures that accompany each thought.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Oct 27, 2010
• ISBN: 9781449706777

Susan K. Smith

Susan is a wife, mother, grandmother, teacher, and lover of Jesus. She has always loved the written world and sharing it with her students. This is her first venture in sharing her writing with the world.

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Introduction

While traveling along the Pacific Coastal Highway in Oregon and northern California, I, along with my husband, Cliff, and a dear friend, Barb, encountered incredibly beautiful scenery. The thoughts found within this short devotional were inspired by our travel experiences and God’s amazing works of creation. We were constantly inspired by what we saw and the people we met. I am challenged to find good thoughts along life’s road whether it is on vacation or in the everyday activities of life. May our minds be open to spiritually uplifting thoughts in the common as well as the exciting facets of life. Our loving Heavenly Father wants to commune with us and He can use anything to do so. His Word is ever beneficial through the work of the Holy Spirit.

I am indebted to my husband for his generosity and Nancy for her editing. Thanks also should be made for Barb’s inspiring love of our Savior and her example as prayer warrior and friend.

When was the last time you were late through no fault of your own? Were you frustrated or angry? When was the last time you were on time because nothing out of the ordinary happened? Were you thankful and happy? After traveling by car, plane, and then car, we arrived on time. There were no airport delays, long waiting lines, and no lost luggage. It was our natural instinct to continue on our merry way without pause. If things had gone wrong, it would have been our natural instinct to complain, whine, or become frustrated. Why don’t we give thanks as easily as we complain? The Psalms are full of thanksgiving for God’s rescue from famine and danger. That’s easy to do. We are admonished in I Thessalonians to give thanks in all circumstances. When you arrived safely at the mall, give thanks. When you slept soundly, give thanks. When your house didn’t burn down and your car wasn’t stolen, give thanks. When the traffic kept flowing, give thanks.

Let us come before him with thanksgiving. Let us sing him psalms of praise.

Psalm 95:2 NLT

It was a simple bowl of Cheerios and a banana. We didn’t think breakfast was to be served on the flight. We had tried to find something at the airport but didn’t find anything we thought sounded worthy of our time and money. We had packed granola bars and purchased airport water. We’ll be fine, we thought. Soon after takeoff the usual cart appeared in the aisle. This was more than coffee or juice.