Student Devotions - An Interseting Journey

Good morning my students,

Here I am in Mistissini again. It was an interesting journey yesterday. It started off with me driving through Montreal up to Three Rivers and then to La Tuque. We left at 5:15 am and stopped for breakfast at 8:30 am. We left in the dark and stopped for breakfast under a cloudy sky. We left Montreal with hardly any snow on the ground and arrived in La Tuque with Two foot snow banks and plenty of snow for their ski hills. Other than Mont Royale, the Montreal region is pretty flat but in driving we went through beautiful hills that some people would call mountains (but I've been to the Rockies so ...). There was plenty of twists and turns and quick drop offs to keep me awake.

In La Tuque Ian took over driving and our world began to change more dramatically. Where I had clear roads he had to drive through snow. As soon as we drove out of La Tuque it started to snow. The highway became snow covered and ice. We encountered snow plows and huge snow banks. The temperature started to drop. More than once the car started sliding on Ian. The trees became more and more snow covered. We started seeing skidoos (remember no snow in Montreal).

Then we started coming out of the hills as we approached Robervale on Lac St. Jean. The skies suddenly cleared up. We arrived there under blue skies and plenty of sunshine. We went from wilderness to towns again, even traffic. We went from trees, cliffs and lakes to a wall of houses, lots of cars and people everywhere. Then, just as we were getting us to it we were out of it, back to the wilderness.

For two hours there was nothing but highway and forest. In those two hours we may have seen thirty cars, one of which was getting help because he had run out of gas. The forest had changed now; nothing more than tall thin evergreens and birch trees. The forest looked like someone had weeded it; it was thin and spread out, like a man going bald. Although it did not snow in the two hours it took to drive through this section there was plenty of snow on the ground. The snow banks were at least six feet tall. However, the sky was blue and the sun was not in our face.

Then we arrived in Chibougamau. I am telling you it is like being transported to Mars. There is no doubt it is a northern town. It almost has the flavour of a town from the old western movies but instead of horses tied up in front of the stores there are cars and trucks. It is flat, practically one street, straight and long with a wall of buildings on either side. There was actually traffic and I think it is the only town in Canada without a Tim's. It was also cold, -9.

So why am I telling you all this? I am trying to describe for you a journey that started off in one world and ended in another. We started off with certain weather and conditions but as we travelled it changed. We left behind people we knew and loved and encountered strangers along the way who did not know us and did not care to know us. I am describing life. Things change and you are at a time of your life with some of the greatest changes that will ever take place in for you. Friends will come and go. Where you live will change. People you depend on will change. Your perspective and understanding of life and the world will change. Do not make the mistake of thinking that this moment will last forever, good or bad. It is going to pass and it will become a distant memory. My question is will you learn from each moment?

I have shared this scripture with you before:

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

The question is whether you willl choose to believe it. Every step of our journey will be a good or bad choice. We will do great things in our life, but just as the dude who ran out of gas on the highway, there will be times that our choices will be foolish. Yet, even these things Yahweh is desiring to use for our good. Things are only wasted when we are not willing to learn from them.

You are going to have a diversity of experiences in your life; clear skies, storms, flat and straight roads, mountain passes, traffic jams, empty highways. Do not fear the journey. If you have Jesus then you have everything you need.