AUGUST 14

Miles That Mattered

Proverbs 27:17, 19

I LIKE BACK ROADS, OLD BRIDGES, service stations still run by mechanics in greasy coveralls, stores heated by potbelly stoves with a handful of men sitting on stubby stools, playing dominoes . . . folks who look you in the eye as they answer slowly, smiling warmly. Just good, honest people who enjoy simple living and a friendly atmosphere. To them, that’s what “user-friendly” really means.

Years ago, I got a taste of that as I drove with our younger son through eight states, getting him settled in an apartment near a school he would soon attend. We swapped turns driving his pickup, spent several nights in motels en route, and by the time we rolled into the last driveway, we’d covered 2,569 miles. I suppose you could say it was my own “travels with Chuck” . . . and I loved every minute of it.

No TV, no radio, nothing but time to think, to talk, to drink in the sights . . . to recover what schedule and speed had almost erased during the past few years.

What mattered was a father and a son being together —alone, eyeball to eyeball —with nothing but time to talk, to touch, to be quiet, to look back and remember, to look ahead and dream.

With apologies to ol’ Solomon, I rephrased a couple of his proverbs in my mind as we drove east: “Iron sharpens iron, so a father and son sharpen each other” and “As in water, face reflects face, so the heart of a son reflects a dad . . . [and vice versa]” (Proverbs 27:17, 19).

Why did I love the trip? Because I love my son. I cannot tell you the number of times I found myself overcome with nostalgia knowing: he is now on his own.

As my plane lifted above the blue highways following our trip, I asked the Lord for four things: the unselfishness to release him, the vision to encourage him, the faithfulness to pray for him, and the wisdom to be there for him whenever, however. God knows I’m willing to do whatever.

How about you?