The Loneliest Road

“U.S. Route 50 (US 50) is a transcontinental highway in the United States, stretching from West Sacramento, California, in the west to Ocean City, Maryland, on the east coast. The Nevada portion crosses the center of the state and was named "The Loneliest Road in America" by Life magazine in July 1986. The name was intended as a pejorative, but Nevada officials seized it as a marketing slogan. The name originates from large desolate areas traversed by the route, with few or no signs of civilization…US 50 crosses the central portion of Nevada, entering the west side of the state near Lake Tahoe and exiting the east side near Great Basin National Park. The route crosses mostly desolate terrain in its journey across the state; US 50 passes through several large desert valleys and basins. The highway crosses 17 named mountain passes that break up the Nevada desert. To crest some of the passes along US 50 requires navigating steep 8% grades and hairpin turns through pine forests to reach elevations of over 7,000 feet” (wikipedia.org).

Spiritually speaking, the loneliest road for the believer is the one travelled without the fellowship of other believers. Some Christians seem to think they can make their way in life with little or no interaction with other Christians. That’s odd because the Bible nowhere encourages such thinking. For example, consider the “one another” passages. Here are just a handful: “Love one another” (John 13:34-35). “Be devoted to one another” (Romans 12:10). “Serve one another” (Galatians 5:13). “Show tolerance for one another” (Ephesians 4:2). “Comfort one another” (1 Thessalonians 4:18). More verses could be cited but these make the point. We can’t fulfill these passages alone. We were meant to be together on the road of life.

The Christian life doesn’t have to be a lonely road. In fact, God didn’t design it to be that way. We need each other. We need to be together on a regular basis. We weren’t built to travel alone.

God loves you!

Mike