So, Robin & I went on a road trip. We left Havasu and went to Missouri to go to Robin’s Family Reunion, and to visit Michael, Heather and the kids! It was a long drive, but Robin is good company, so it was an enjoyable cross country adventure… Except for one thing! BARRELS! They were EVERYWHERE! They were in Arizona! They were in New Mexico! (I think they may grow right out of the pavement in New Mexico!) They were in Texas! They were in Oklahoma! They were even in Missouri! They were all over the roads. They were often in places where there was no sign of road construction! ARGH!!!!
We hit a spot in New Mexico where the traffic was backed up for several miles. I think it took an hour to go 5 miles. Start… stop… go forward 50 feet, stop again. Left lane moves a bit, while the right lane stays put… then the left lane stops and the right lane moves a few feet. It was Agonizing! When we got to the last mile there was a sign that read “Right Lane ends, 1 mile.” We covered that last mile, and of course we came to a bunch of orange barrels… You had to move into the left lane, but there was absolutely no reason to do so. Nothing was happening anywhere near the right lane.
I’ll be the first to agree that there is a use for orange barrels. When people are working on the road, they need to be protected, but miles and miles of barrels with no people or equipment anywhere in sight? REALLY? In the right place, for the right reasons, they are a wonderful and useful thing, but when they are blocking up a road and slowing down traffic for no apparent reason, they are simply annoying!
Churches sometimes have “orange barrels.” “Orange barrels” are often put in place as a safeguard that helps us to do what is right. “We should think about whether that idea/plan has a biblical foundation.” “We really need to run that idea past the Elders.” “Who/what will be harmed if we do this?” “How does this really help us to “grow the Saints” or reach the lost?” These barrels help keep harm and damage from happening. They are not there to get in the way. They are put in place to help us do what is right.
“There are also “barrels of tradition…” We have all seen or heard them. “We’ve never done it that way before.” “We tried that for a whole week, 30 years ago and it didn’t work.” “We can’t afford to do that.” “People will never go along with an idea like that.” “I like things, just the way they are!” “If we did that, ______ would be really mad!” These are barrels that serve no real purpose. They simply hinder traffic flow!
It is a joy to me to work with a Church that puts out “orange barrels” for the right reasons. Over the years we have tried lots of new things. Some of them worked out well, and others were miserable failures. But we tried them because we thought that they would help God’s Kingdom to grow. Even in failure, we have learned things. When things have gone well, we have celebrated together! In all of these times, we have stuck together! It is my hope and my prayer that this Church only ever puts out the “orange barrels” for the right reasons!
Headed down the “Road of Life” right next to you,
John
