The Long Way Home

I love Norah Jones’ song Take the Long Way Home. There is something about the road less traveled and a mini-adventure that interests me. To get home from church I sometimes drive through the wilderness on a little known route through Lakewood Ranch. It is five extra minutes, but when there is no rush I’m more interested in the scenery than in getting home quickly.

For some, the long way home is a different mode of transportation. One friend who lives in Europe prefers to drive across the Alps rather than fly because of the sights he can see, the side trips, the quaint little mountain villages with narrow winding streets.

I’m reading through the Bible this year as if I’m in a plane going at 500 miles per hour. It’s great to get an overview, it is a wonderful thing to be exposed to so much Scripture, it will be rewarding when I get to the end. At the same time, I see intriguing and inviting side streets that I just don’t have time to go down because I’m in such a hurry to get home. I miss the ability to look up a cross reference, pray over a verse, and just sit and meditate.

For me, reading through the Bible is a helpful discipline, and something I might do every five years. But next year, I’m going to take the long way home.