As I was zipping along on the way to the girls school recently I came to a quick halt!  There laying across the entire road was a huge tree.  Thankfully I noticed it in time to stop.  My first thought was this is strange…..glad I wasn’t driving by when it decided to fall since we take that road every day for school.  My next thought was…….did someone cut it down but there literally was no one in sight and the tree roots were uprooted.  The dilemma was I had to deliver goodies to the girls class in a matter of minutes, however, I had a road block.  How was I going to get to their school (my options):

• Move it out of the road (I didn’t have a chainsaw or strength to do it by myself)
• There were no driveways behind me so I would have to back up the windy road about 1/2 mile, plus risk someone else coming down the road and us crashing
• Turn around in the road with narrow shoulders and risk someone coming around the bend and hitting me.
• Go around it (It had rained the day before and the tree covered the whole road, which doesn’t have a shoulder either)

What did I do? Surveyed the probability of going around the tree since the ditch wasn’t too deep or wet in that spot and braved it.  I made it through, thankfully, otherwise Jake would have gotten another “help” call from me!   The car on the other side of the tree had the same dilemma as I did but they decided to back up and turn around instead.  I made it almost to the end of the road when I noticed a cop car heading the direction towards the tree I rolled down my window and waved to get his attention but he just flew on by me without hesitation.  I figured he would realize why I was waving in matter of minutes.  When I arrived at school I was able to let them know and they immediately called the bus barn to have them redirect the bus routes so they could get the kids home.

This event happened a couple weeks ago but has stuck in my head for several reasons.  We often face road blocks in life.  Even though the situation may catch you off guard or seem impossible to get past we all have to make a decision about what we are going to do about the various road blocks that appear.  Are there areas in your life with road blocks?  Here are some areas I have had road blocks pop up in my life (thankfully they haven’t come at once but sometimes I have to work on multiple ones at the same time):

• Health
• Financial
• Family
• Work
• Spiritual
• And More

I think the reason why this road block has stuck in my mind is I have come to the realization that there are several areas in my life and heart that I need to change.  Taking time to change any area of my life takes time, energy and consistency.  I want God to work in my life from the inside out.  If I have walls put up around my heart how am I going to be an effective testimony for Him?  If I don’t take the time to spend with Him how is He going to work in my life and in the lives of those people I touch.  The choices I make today have a ripple effect on the people around me (family, friend, acquaintances, etc…)  One other area that has come to my attention is my health.  Growing up I didn’t have a routine exercise schedule because I got plenty on the farm and I never had to go on any diets but recently with my energy dropping I realized that I need to eat better and move more.  The lack of energy is blocking me from doing more of the things I enjoy in my life.  Another area I have been working on is making our family budget a priority. Thankfully my husband has always been very supportive because it really works better if both spouses are on board with it.

What will you do about the road blocks in your life? Will you allow yourself to discover ways to eat healthier and exercise?  Will you get together with your spouse and work out a budget?  Will you allow God to reveal your true heart so you can serve Him better? There are many areas in our lives that need cultivated.  Every person is different.  Examine your life and the areas you need to step up and go to bat for.  Every day we have the opportunity to make choices in each area of our lives.  Some days I do better than others while other days I seem to encounter one road block after another.  The important part is that you pick yourself back up, dust off, refocus, and remember that you can get past this little bump in the road.

How will you react to a friends warning? Sometimes it takes another person tapping you on the shoulder you to get your attention.  You could be the like the cop in the story above that just flew on by and ignored me as I tried to wave him down to warn him about the danger ahead. OR You could be like the secretary at the girls school who immediately called the bus barn to alert them of the road block in their routes so they can correct their route before hitting a road block.  It is important to have close family and friends in your life that are kind enough to speak graciously with you if they see an area in your life where you are struggling.  Those same people can also provide a lot of accountability, prayer, and encouragement as you journey through that road block.

It is amazing how much that tree across the road captivated my attention!  Even though it was an inconvenience at the time I am thankful for a very visual representation of a road block because it has stuck in my mind.  Take the time this week to identify and start removing the road blocks in your life so you can focus more on those areas that really are important to you.

“Heart Reflections” is a series of thoughts and encouragement that come directly from my heart.  Life has a way of throwing us extra challenges and when our focus is pulled away from what is truly important we tend to feel the pressure of stress in our lives.  This series is created to remind us that we are part of something so much bigger than ourselves.  We don’t have to face the pressure of life on our own.  We can trust that our prayers are being heard.  He alone knows what’s best for us and gives us the appropriate strength to get through each day as it is set before us.