The new Interstate 65 overpass bridge near our home had been under construction seemingly since the Spanish-American War.
About forty-five minutes south of Nashville, Tennessee, this Interstate exit that connects with Bear Creek Pike was never one of the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s finer moments.
Engineers had to sandwich the exit ramps and overpass bridge from the original interstate construction into an awkward space, shoehorning them between a cemetery, a pipeline right-of-way, a substantial creek, and a gas station/convenience store. The results weren’t pretty.
Bear Creek Pike actually curved under the interstate bridge. Because of that bend, drivers couldn’t see what was coming from under the bridge when they came off the interstate exit ramps and stopped to turn on Bear Creek Pike. Major accidents were common. After a few years, a truck stop was built at the exit, adding a constant flow of eighteen-wheelers to an already dangerous situation.
Finally, the county, state, and DOT decided the infamous I-65 Exit 46 would get a makeover. As I said, it feels as if it were a few centuries ago, since we’ve been dodging orange barrels and negotiating wild lane changes for decades.
One day was worse than usual. I pulled onto Bear Creek Pike and headed toward the interstate, only to be greeted by a blocking row of the ubiquitous orange barrels and a sign that read, Road Closed. Find Alternate Route. No helpful detours or even an arrow suggesting which way to go. Just Road Closed.
I can’t tell you how often I’ve run into a similar proverbial road sign in my often-wayward life. A sign that would flash in my brain like a neon sign: Road Closed. Find Alternate Route. And I’m embarrassed to say how many times I ignored that warning and breezed merrily on to near disaster and ruin.
It didn’t have to be that way. I knew there was an Alternate Route—one found in the Word of our Lord. But I had to read, study, and live God’s Word to find the detour. The Bible did me no good sitting as a leather paperweight on my desk.
The Word of God is a seed. The more I plant it inside me, the more it grows and fills me (2 Kings 6:19). Most importantly, when I encounter one of those life-changing Road Closed situations, God’s Alternate Route lights up in my heart like a neon sign.
Plant the seeds of God’s Word where they can grow and guide you when you face your next detour.
Kevin Spencer likes to play with words, help others play with them, and is privileged to be a staff writer for Christian Devotions. He lives with his beautiful blessing of a wife, Charlotte, and his amazing collegiate grandson, Caleb.