I’ve been in New Mexico on vacation this week. One of the sites my husband and I wanted to see was Sandia Crest. There’s a tram that goes to the top of the mountain, but we decided to drive. So we typed Sandia Crest into our GPS. What we didn’t know is that there are two roads to the top of Sandia Mountain. One road is the paved one. The other road is an unmaintained state highway that you travel at your own risk. Our GPS took us up the second path.
We should have guessed how scary the road would be when the sign said “Unmaintained Roads Ahead. Travel at your own risk.” But we decided it wouldn’t be that bad. After all, we had a four wheel drive SUV, and it wasn’t winter. So when it became a gravel road we weren’t that worried.
We did get a little nervous when the road started having ruts and stones the size of the Grand Canyon.
Then the road narrowed until most of the time, it was one lane.
The trees cut off so we could only drive on part of the road were interesting.
Then there were the steep drop-offs with no guardrails.
Of course, the “Beware of Bears” signs didn’t make us feel any better. We had to go slow, very slow, so the journey to the top took much longer than we expected. But the view made it all worth it. It was spectacular.
Finally we made it to the paved road.
Soon after that, we reached Sandia Crest, elevation 10,689 feet. The view was like nothing I’d ever seen.
We went back down over the paved road. It was a nice drive, but not nearly as fun or as beautiful as the scary road.
Sometimes God takes us on scary paths. We travel those roads alone, because nobody else wants to be on those roads. And they take us out of our comfort zone. Sometimes these paths are dangerous. But God never promised us safety. He did promise to travel these roads with us. And the view is spectacular. When we reach the crest where the air is thin, so thin few travel there, we realize it was worth it all.
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