Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Religion Columnist
“He restoreth my soul…” Psalm 23:3
On a recent trip we decided to take another route from the one we normally traveled. The road from Nara Visa to Clayton was one I had never traveled and with a difference of less than five miles, Mark thought I would enjoy the change. Also, I had heard of the community of Amistad and wanted to stop and see its museum, a catalog house. It was brought in pieces on the train and assembled on site. Later it was moved to its current location.
The gradual climb once you left Nara Visa provided beautiful vistas especially with all the green grass. We passed herd after herd of healthy antelope grazing peacefully in the pastures. The simple beauty had a calming effect as I gazed in the distance in anticipation of what I would see next.
Amistad wasn’t what I had anticipated. First, it was off of the main road requiring a slight detour. The church stood as a beacon welcoming travelers. I tried to visualize all who had come through the doors to worship. I had expected a larger community, but was impressed with how well it was maintained. I couldn’t go in the museum because you need to make prior arrangements, but decided right then and there to return some day.
The trip on the road less traveled was a joy and a soothing balm after the fast paced month I had just endured. It made me wonder why we approach life at full speed, ignoring all the warning signs for us to slow down. God warns us that we need to slow down and listen to Him. In Psalm 46:10 we read, “Be still and know that I am God…” How often do we continue on our fast paced paths and fail to be still and listen to God.
As I sat thinking back on that trip, a poem learned long ago in high school popped into my head. The poem, “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost begins:
“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood”
and ends,
“and I-I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
The less traveled road on that summer day was what I needed to slow down and listen to God speak to my heart. There were no distractions, no heavy traffic to pull my attention away from focusing on God. Instead, it gave me a chance to really listen to what God had to say.
Every person needs a place or a way to escape what is often called, “the rat race”. We need to find a way to keep from “burning the candle at both ends”. Even with our many responsibilities, it is essential to take time each and every day to be quiet before God so we can hear what He has to say to us.
The next time you feel as though the cares and pressures of life are swallowing you up, remember two little words: “Be still”. Sometimes it is just the stillness of taking a less traveled route in your life. The time you take to be still will make all the difference.
Debra Whittington is a longtime resident of Tucumcari. Contact her at:
