"Two roads diverged in a wood and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” Robert Frost
This Robert Frost quote maybe the most cited word on “roads.” Perhaps, the less traveled road is such a difference-maker because it is a more difficult one, requiring faith. That road is often paved with disappointments. Recent news headlines, like road signs, mark the way: Four Mass Shootings Claim Twenty Lives. New COVID Strains on the Rise. Royal Family Loses a Prince. Truth be told, we all travel a road of disappointment.
Two disciples did after the first Easter. The tomb empty, their crucified and buried leader missing, frightened and bewildered, they hit the road. This post-Easter message of Luke 24:30-35 serves as a map on how to navigate a road of disappointment. Take the Emmaus Exit that directs you to rise up, to speak up and stand out to put your disappointments in the rearview mirror.
First, when you are disappointed, commune with God through His Word so that you will rise up and return to your responsibility. Our two travelers did after they had an encounter with a stranger who preached what was written about Jesus.
As they approached the village of Emmaus, they ate together. They discovered that the stranger was no stranger at all.
30 And it came about that when He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them. 31 And their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight. 32 And they said to one another, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?" 33 And they arose that very hour and returned to Jerusalem to the eleven…Lk 24:30-33
The Emmaus Road represents a road of doubts and disappointments, a road Christ is willing to walk with you through those rotten relationships, those quicksand jobs, those dire diagnoses. He has a Word for every bump in the road:
When you are saddened by the loss of a love one: Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. (Ps. 30:5).
When your enemies are formidable: No weapon formed against you shall prosper. (Isa. 54:14).
When you feel all alone: There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (Pro. 18:24)
As it did for the two travelers, that Word will put a fire under you to move you from pity party to purpose. But His Word can’t be a stranger to you like He was for the two. Commune with God through his Word. Rise up, return to your purpose.
Second, when you are disappointed, commune with God and speak up proclaiming who Jesus is. After the Emmaus travelers rose up and returned to Jerusalem, they proclaimed to the other disciples:
saying, "The Lord has really risen, and has appeared to Simon." Luke 24:34
They had called him Lord by title before, but now they are calling him Lord out of a testimony that what Christ says he will do, he will do: rise up.
You cannot waver on the resurrection. Without the resurrection, our preaching is useless and so is our faith. The word the world needs to hear and see is this: The Lord is risen from the grave, and walks in your life.
Lastly, when you are disappointed, commune with God and stand out and testify what He has done for you. In verse 35, we see the once disappointed disciples, boldly testifying of their experience with Jesus on Emmaus.
And they began to relate their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread. Luke 24:35
Distinguish yourself from your disappointments. Give your testimony. It’s simple. Testify (1) what you were before you met Christ, (2) how you came to encounter Christ, and (3) how your life has changed since you encountered Him. Share it. The process will jolt you out of your disappointment and be a blessing to others.
The road “less traveled” that will make all the difference is the one we travel with Christ—disappointments and all. Rise up. Speak up. Stand out. Put your disappointments in the rearview mirror.
Comments