One of my favorite places in the world is Cades Cove in the Smoky Mountains. It is a beautiful place that takes you back in time. There are no tall buildings, traffic lights, or interstates. Shoot, there isn’t even a Dollar General in the Cove.
One thing you can’t leave behind, even when visiting someplace as peaceful as the mountains, is the need to make decisions. You have to decide what you want to do when you get there. Will your trip consist of sightseeing, hiking, or hanging out with the fudge-and-knife crowd in town?
If you’re going to the Cove, you need to decide what time to go. It may be tempting to have one more stack of pancakes, but if you get there early enough to watch the place come alive, you won’t soon forget it.
You also have to decide how you’re going to make your way around the loop. I’ve seen people walking it. That might be enjoyable if it weren’t for the kids hanging out of passing car windows, taking pictures of you. I even rode a bike around the loop once. Personally, it was hard to enjoy the scenery while listening to my heartbeat in my ears and hoping the numbness from my waist down would eventually go away.
For those of you who have never been, the loop is the road that meanders through the Cove. It’s eleven miles long, but it can take about as long to get around as it takes to get around Atlanta on I-285. Once you pull onto that road, just get in line behind the car ahead of you and start humming, “Wherever He Leads, I’ll Go.”
In January 1936, hymn writer B. B. McKinney sat with missionary R. S. Jones, who had learned that failing health would prevent his return to Brazil. When McKinney asked what he planned to do next, Jones replied, “Wherever He leads, I’ll go.” Moved by those words, McKinney wrote the hymn that afternoon.
We all have decisions to make. Some aren’t all that important. What time will I drive through Cades Cove? Others are much more important. What will I do with Jesus Christ? Will I follow Him even when I don’t know where the road will lead?
In life, and in our walk with Christ, we often focus on the final destination. What will the end of the journey look like? Where will this road take me? We are more willing to travel a strange road if we know what awaits us.
Faith doesn’t always work that way. Sometimes God shows us the next step without showing us the whole road. We want to know what’s around the bend, but He asks us to trust Him one step at a time.
Today, I want you to stop and think about the journey. When you belong to Christ, you can trust Him with the destination. But don’t become so focused on where you’re going that you miss what God is doing along the way. Enjoy the journey. Notice His goodness in the ordinary moments. Learn to recognize His presence in the quiet places. Remember that Jesus Christ is with you, even when you cannot see what lies ahead.
Again, I love the mountains. I love seeing their beauty, but I especially love going there with my wife and girls. The time we spend together is part of what makes those trips special. It’s not just about getting to Cades Cove or seeing another beautiful view or a bear holding up traffic. It’s about the people beside me and the memories we make along the way.
The same is true when we follow Christ. We may not know where He will lead us, but we can know who walks beside us. And sometimes, the greatest blessing isn’t just reaching the destination. It’s learning to enjoy the journey with Him.
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