Final Thoughts (Wednesday, December 13)
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9 NKJV)
Several years after the Last Rodeo I had the opportunity to return to North Kansas City for a few days and one of the items on my agenda was to go back to the Driveway. I’m not exactly sure what I expected to find, but I was a little disappointed to find that the Driveway was now a paved road leading to a neighborhood of newer homes. I drove down the road to where I believed the old, abandoned house used to have been, only to find a nice new home with a well-manicured yard. I decided to follow the road and found myself smiling as I realized that it met up with another road in the exact spot where the Backdoor was.
I realize that things change. New communities are developed, and new homes are built, but it was a strange feeling to return to a place that held such strong memories for me and find it to no longer be exactly as I remembered it. The discipline of writing this experience down, and sharing it, has caused me to reflect on some of the lessons that this experience taught me. Allow me to share a few of those with you.
Lesson #1: Things are not always what they seem like at first. Remember, this entire adventure began with Craig and I looking for that perfect place to hold our B.B. gun battles. We weren’t looking for, and certainly didn’t anticipate, all that unfolded after our first visit to the House at the End of the Driveway. What looked like the perfect place for some weekend fun with our buddies turned into far more than either of us could have imagined.
Lesson #2: Spiritual Warfare is real. If you had asked me prior to my experience with the House at the End of the Driveway I would have told you that I believed in Spiritual Warfare, for those people who lived during Biblical times. The thought that Spiritual Warfare was a present reality was completely beyond my accepted reality. This experience taught me, in an all too real way, that Spiritual Warfare was very real, and very personal. This experience was what prompted me to become serious about my faith, my personal walk with God, and to get serious about studying and understanding God’s Word.
Lesson #3: Good friends last a lifetime. Craig and I haven’t lived in the same state since 1999, but I still count him as not just one of my best friends; He is my brother. We have been able to connect in person a few times over the years and it’s like we had seen each other the day before. I have learned over the years to treasure my friends, and to appreciate the blessings they are in my life.
Lesson #4: You do outgrow being “young and dumb”, at least for the most part! I found myself both chuckling and grimacing as I reflected on this experience, and this time in my life. It continues to amaze me how God has protected me, and how He has used my past experiences (good, bad, and stupid) to mold me into the man that I am today.
Lesson #5: Darkness is the absence of light. If you were to go into a dark room and light a small candle, something amazing happens. The light begins to displace the darkness. It’s almost like the darkness is afraid of the light. Spiritually speaking, it is! Over the decades, I have learned the importance of not hiding the light of Christ. The darkness of this world fears the light of Christ, and our responsibility (our privilege) is to lift Jesus up.
I hope that you have enjoyed reading these, but I must be honest and tell you that my purpose in writing these was never your enjoyment. Rather, I wrote these to allow me the opportunity to finally, and completely, work through this part of my past. This has been a time for me to remember and reflect. It has also been a time for me to revisit this time with forty years of growth and maturity.
I often found myself shaking my head in amazement at how young and dumb we were back then. I am thankful that God saw fit to protect us, and to grow us during this time. My prayer is that these blogs have blessed you, as well as entertained you.
Thanks for reading!
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