This past Sunday afternoon, I was speeding along I-40 just east of Knoxville like the proverbial bat of… Well, perhaps that’s not a good illustration after all. Let’s just say I was tooling along with the traffic—not leading the pack, but not lagging so far behind that I couldn’t see the pace car. Nothing clears my head and mellows me out faster than a long drive with good music. I was, as they say, chilling.

All of a sudden, I hit a big curve on the interstate and it shook me out of my chilled mellow state of mind. If you’re familiar with I-40 as it enters North Carolina, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Curves are not the norm on the interstates I frequent, so I sat up a little straighter, gripped the steering while a bit tighter, and pressed the brake a lot harder.

In hindsight (which by the way is always 20/20), I am now convinced God put that curve in I-40 just for me. Otherwise I would have pressed the accelerator down even harder and raced onward toward my destination. Instead, as I slowed down, I looked around and then up…and up…and up. Did I say I looked up? Wow! The deep green hue of the mountains set against that deep blue sky was indescribable—sort of like a scenic banquet table for the eyes and mind. Here I was, several miles into the Blue Ridge Mountains and I hadn’t even noticed it.

That curve was God’s reality check for me to slow down and look at the countryside I was careening through. Too often, it’s all about the destination—the end result. You know what I mean. “I can’t wait till I get to _____________ ” (fill in the blank with your appropriate destination). It is so easy to allow the torrid pace of life and all that clutter we think is so indispensable to rob us of the pleasure of our journey. The destination can’t be reached unless the journey is taken. So, why not slow down a little and enjoy the journey. we can take those curves on two wheels if you want, but we will likely miss those special moments God has placed along our path.