No Farther Forward, Just Farther Along
We were created by Relationship for relationship.
“In light of all this, here’s what I want you to do. While I’m locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk — better yet, run! — on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline — not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences.” Ephesians 4:1-3 (MSG)
Farther Along
“I’m no farther forward, just farther along.” — Bebo Norman
That line has followed me for years.
It’s the quiet confession of a traveler who knows the road well — the turns, the ditches, the grace.
I remember sitting in an AA meeting once (not a misprint), reflecting on my own journey. I had known Christ for years, served in ministry, seen miracles — and yet there I was, humbled and human.
I whispered, “Lord, how did I get here?”
And gently, He showed me.
The Winding Road
I saw an aerial view of a dirt road winding through dense forest, with ditches on either side. Along that road, people joined me at different points — some fresh on the journey, others limping from hard miles.
We walked together. We talked, stumbled, prayed, and sometimes just stayed quiet.
And the Lord said, “You are never more than six feet from the ditch. Keep your eyes up and your heart soft.”
That’s when it hit me:
I may have walked farther, but I’m never ahead of anyone else.
Walking Together
Paul’s words echo that truth — “Walk—better yet, run—on the road God called you to travel.”
Not faster than someone else. Not more polished. Just faithful.
We don’t run alone; we run as one body, bound by grace, fueled by love.
Our journeys aren’t ladders of spiritual rank. They’re interwoven roads of shared mercy.
The ground is level at the foot of the cross and on the path that follows.
Some stop walking for a while, some detour, and some circle back to help others out of the ditch.
And that’s the beauty of community: we get to walk each other home.
The Gift of Companionship
We were created by relationship for relationship.
No one was designed to journey alone.
Every encounter — every traveler who joins your path — is an invitation to love, to listen, to lift.
When we walk humbly and steadily, pouring ourselves out for each other in acts of love, we become living echoes of divine generosity.
Reflection
Where are you on your journey right now?
Who might God be pairing you with for this stretch of the road?
What wisdom, scars, or grace have you gathered that someone else needs?
Prayer