Enos Strate was no dipstick! The shy southern deputy had a head on his shoulders and eyes for Daisy. He lit up when he saw her and bent over backwards to please her. Enos worked for Roscoe and had a tough row to hoe. He balanced walking the straight and narrow path while working for a crooked boss.

Unpaved back roads and paths through open fields were no obstacles for the skillful driver. If he had passengers in the patrol car, he’d give a shout. “Buckle up! Hold on Buddy Row!” They’d fly through the air and bounce back down on all four smoking wheels. No one had injuries in the fictional Hazard chase scenes. Reality is not always so easy on those involved in wrecks.

Life often propels us at supersonic speed. God holds out His protective hand and in a still small voice might whisper something much like “Hold on Buddy Row!” Will we heed the warning? “holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain (Philippians 2:16 RSV).”

“The shortest distance between two places is a straight line”. I think I’m having a math class flashback. It’s logical but why do freeway designers and engineers build so many winding roads and dangerous curves? Go figure.

If I plan to travel from point A to point B, I simply trust the judgment of those who have mapped out the way. Okay, so first I have to identify my place of departure, alias point A. Then I verify my destination and tag it point B.

Guess you get the point. Is it possible to begin at point A, reach point B and yet be right where you started without a u-turn? Before you are totally confused let me clarify my point. “They go from strength to strength, Every one of them appears before God in Zion (Psalms 84:7 NAS).”

I’ve had days when I went from weak to weaker and ended up at exhausted. It’s nice to know God provides a departure he labeled strength and a way to arrive at the final destination of strength.  Final point: Christ is my strength. (Philippians 4:13)

Fathers beam when they look down into the face of their children. They do not need to pass out cigars to announce the arrival of a baby; their expression delivers the message to all the family and friends who have been counting the days. No longer must he wait but now nervously holds the bundle and peers into the face of flesh of his flesh.

The Lord also looks down upon His children. “The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace (Numbers 6:25-26 KJV).” A father’s love is essential to a child in their formative years. God, our Father expects us to mature in the faith and when he looks down into our faces, I want him to beam.    

Pam Ford Davis

“And what are your intentions, young man?” In days of old, a stern father met the beau of his daughter in a quaint parlor and quizzed him on his plans to provide for a wife. The younger male figure swallowed the lump in his throat and marked out a path of proper provision and a secure future for his betrothed. He stated his intentions and waited for word of the father’s blessings on the proposed marriage.

The joyous woman in Song of Solomon could not restrain her emotions as she revealed the intentions of the man of her dreams. “He brought me to the banqueting house, and his intention toward me was love (Song of Solomon 2:4 NRS).” He intended to express his lavish love for her as he provided a feast. She knew where he placed his affections and she delighted to be in his presence. His intentions were clear and she saw her own reflection as she gazed in his eyes.