Upheld In A Roadblock

 

It hardly seems like the same river, but the Mighty Columbia is truly a marvel of river design. Although it is not the fabled Northwest Passage, it nearly does fit the bill. I’ve lived by this river all my life, but this summer I saw and learned a lot of things I didn’t know about this waterway.  It has many faces from the mountains in Canada west to the mouth at the Pacific Ocean. I’m glad I get to live by it. Thank you, God.

As one drives through the state (Washington or Oregon, take your pick), watching the terrain change brings marvel with every mile.

I drove home from visiting my son and family on the Washington side of the river this time. I’ve wanted to do that for a long time, but it’s just a two lane highway and I am usually in a hurry to get home to get ready for work the next day.

This time, a shooting incident in Portland, Oregon shut down the exit to I-84, the main entrance to the eastbound freeway in Oregon.  The way most of us travel the east/west route.  It was interesting how we were stopped, and turned around on the exit to return to the freeway we had just left. It sent me on a big round trip through Portland (I didn’t even get lost this time, either!) back to Washington State and the Highway 14 route east.

At first, I was chagrined. After all, when I make a plan, I expect to stick to it and see it through. I was not able to do so.  However, it was a beautiful sunny day and I had wanted to travel Hwy 14 for a long time. It seems this was God’s gift to me for that day. I really didn’t have much in the way of choices of travel, given my time frame. I had to move east and get home.

Yet, God gives surprises where we least expect them.  I stopped at one of the Lewis and Clark monuments and walked around a bit. A touch of history gives you a foundation—like you belong to a epic bigger than the one you experience day to day. How differently did that group, on that expedition so long ago, see the same river at the same spot that I saw?

Moving east, observing  things from the other side of the river showed me again the beauty of God. I saw little lakes and inlets I’d never seen before. There’s one area I think I’d like to take a kayak to and explore. One inlet was big enough to have several islands in it. Fun! The contrasts as the landscape changed was astounding. I’ve seen it over and over from I-84, but somehow, on Hwy 14, I saw it like it was new.

So, I guess the lesson today is this: if there is a roadblock that you can’t get around, look for God to lead you into a new route with delight. Change isn’t easy, but it can be good. Maybe even fun.