How many times have you said this? If you’ve ever lived on a dirt road you may have met someone at the top of the road. Our road is rough, so in order to save someone a little time and possible a muffler, we tell them we’ll meet them at the top of the road. A little bag of sugar, forgotten keys, my grandson’s boots, a letter, dry cleaning ….all these things have ridden in the passenger seat, to be handed off to someone else, at the top of the road.
I have even been handed off to a friend….come to think of it. Me and my horse have been handed off and dropped off, all yes…..that infamous place where dirt road and pavement meet.
These meetings may involve a quick hug, two or three sentence conversations and perhaps a handshake, or even a little kiss. Kisses reserved for family and close friends…… the UPS man gets no sugar!! Neither from the bag or from my lips.
This time of year we find ourselves watching the clock, so that we can make another trip to the top of the road, to pick up kiddos. We anticipate the bobbing of their heads, counting to make sure each one has made the bus and read their faces upon stepping off the yella dog! Gosh, I wonder how many miles we’ve logged on the dirt roads in our life. Have ya’ll ever wondered the same thing?
It got me to thinking, why is it that we meet someone there, in the first place? Wouldn’t it be easier to stay put and have everyone come to us? Recliner….Netflix binge….sounds good to me. But as life goes, there are “interruptions” that cause us to use those words….”I’ll meet you at the top of the road”. I’ve narrowed down the list tells to just two reasons…….
- We Have Something They Need.
- They Have Something We Need.
It’s that simple. We have the ability to meet the need of someone else and we ourselves will be in need, sometime in our life. Even the most independent person, whether they say so or not needs others. They may not express it…I mean who really wants to be needy? But what do the faces of those around us reveal? The same things our kids faces reveal to us when they step off that school bus. Sometimes they’re awesome…..yay! Good day….check! But others days we’re met with tears and frustration.
Ministry is not hard….when we meet people where they are through simple acts of faith. Reaching out to someone with a quick phone call, a few words in conversation at the feed store, a hug for a friend who has lost someone. And don’t assume someone has already loaded up in the truck and is making their way to meet them. More than likely they have not, believe me…we hear daily of someone who has fallen through the cracks and feels alone. It’s never intentional but heartbreaking to leave someone out there in need. So many of us ignore those meetings that God instructs us to have. What if I only have a little, or don’t know what to say? What if I just imagined God told me to do it? Even saying, “I bet someone else has already done it”, is probably more reason to make that connection. If you have them on your heart….go….meet them at the top of the road…. more than likely they are waiting for you!
You see, it’s such a relief when you see that dust rolling from a truck heading your way. It give you that….”AWE….there they are!” moment. Someone cared enough to roll the dust. Lots of people are waiting out there and nobody is there….nothing….just flies and vehicles on the highway going somewhere else. But we can do this when we think about the simple act of meeting someone to give them something we have.
“Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” Matt. 5:42
I hope this is helpful….and simple…and doable. It’s just a little shout out to say… to myself and anyone else who needs it… “Hey….help out here!”
I really want to thank ya’ll for reading my post. Every time I think it’s not necessary, I hear from one of you and it means the world to me. So thank you for that as well. I really like when ya’ll are giving me feedback. I need you too!
thecowboypastorswife
Check out the pictures I received from my friends, in their “Meeting at the top of the road”, moments. Thanks for coming through friends!!! You had something I needed!
Featured image above : Kevin Weatherby
Photo by Ranching Happiness: Taj Lewis
Photo: Stacy Roberts
Photo: Jeff Gore ….Picked us up for lunch after driving cattle off Winter range. Fairfield, Idaho
…and if you’d like you can go to my facebook page to see more amazing photos. Thanks again friends!
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