I love traveling on the old highways that are woven into the fabric of America. They take me into small towns and villages, route me past sights long-forgotten; old barns and old factories, small family restaurants and hardware stores, schools with a flag out front, and churches with steeples topped with a cross (with a sign in front announcing worship times and an upcoming potluck supper).
Oh yes, the Intestate System is the way of today, and people rush to it without thinking, to get where they’re going in a hurry. No map required; you can drive from Milwaukee to Boston without hitting a traffic light or a toll booth (it’s all electronic now).
The old highways are not that easy. I once drove from Wisconsin’s southern border all the way north to Lake Superior without setting foot (wheel) on the interstate. It was hard work and it took all day. Another time, I drove from Racine, Wisconsin to Pella, Iowa on all the old roads that I remembered from my college days and our early marriage. Highway 11 to Dubuque, Iowa, Hwy. 151 to Homestead in the Amana Colonies, west on HWY. 6 to Malcom, then south on Hwy. 63 to some county roads that led to Pella. Again, it was an all day trip.
When you decide to travel an old highway, your journey is much more difficult than it would be if you used the modern path. You will have to:
- Use a map and pay attention to road signs.
- Change speeds often and come to a full stop regularly.
- Be patient when a slow-moving truck or farm tractor is using the same road as you.
- Search out places to eat that don’t have golden arches to mark them.
- Pay attention to fuel consumption and buy gas when you can; not when it’s convenient.
But why choose this path if it is so much more difficult, not to mention slow?
- There are real people to meet and interact with along the way.
- The scenery is better and you’re moving slowly enough to enjoy it. You can even (gasp!) stop to take a closer look.
- Pie. I love good, homemade fruit pies, and the only place to get them outside our home is to search out a local restaurant. When you find a good one, it’s a treasure.
- The changing scenery and the winding roads allow you to enjoy the journey, to be relaxed at the end of the day.
A few weeks ago, my friend, Pastor Jon Falk preached a sermon titled Ancient Paths. He said that the Christian life is a journey on old trusted routes that are not easy to walk. The world rushes by on the broad path, the easy way; while we choose God’s way which is more difficult, but much better. The ancient path takes us on a life journey that ends in glory. And sometimes along the way, there’s pie.
Thus says the LORD: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.” Jeremiah 6:16 (ESV)
Robert Frohlich 