Tonight I am sitting in my Hotel room in Sioux Falls, SD. I will always have fond memories of South Dakota.
Katie and I got married when we were still both in College. So the expensive Caribbean vacation was far out of the question. Instead, we loaded up my Dad’s convertible, and loaded up my Visa Card, and hit the road for Rapid City, SD!
Our lunches consisted of lunch meat and chips out of a cooler we had well stocked. To this day, the taste of Lays BBQ Baked Potato Chips always takes me back to that week. The picnic lunch allowed us to spend evenings somewhere nice.
If you have ever taken the drive across I-90, you have had the chance to experience the Wall Drug signs that beckon you to the eternally expanding small town drug store (I am still not sure we actually found the pharmacy).
All along the route, the signs promise cheap coffee, free donuts for Honeymooners (we took advantage of that one… Lunch… day 3), specialty shops and exhibits.
Big Stretch Time:
Not to cheapen the eternal by comparing it to a collection of trinket shops: But, I couldn’t help but think of the journey of the Christian here on earth. Those signs across I-90 kept the otherwise lonely prairie, fairly interesting. When mile 1, looked like mile 2, which looked like mile 3, these signs reminded us that there was a destination ahead that was worth driving towards.
The Bible lays out promises of eternity for us as we journey along the earth. While we may not know exactly what mile marker we are on today, we do know that Jesus has gone ahead to prepare a special place for His followers (John 14). Sickness, unemployment, perpetual sin, tough relationships: these are all a part of a journey to a promised destination.
Live out the journey with the destination in mind (Hebrews 12:2)
Press On!
Apparently I only have 293 miles left to go!