I have to admit; I’ve walked the Road to Emmaus – or at least a road very similar. It’s the road where every step causes you to realize that your dreams are disintegrating. It’s when it seems that everything you’ve worked toward your whole life; everything you’d sacrificed for; everything (or at least it feels like everything) that you’ve dreamed of doing, becoming, or achieving is no longer possible? If you have felt that way, then you could understand the feeling of the two men on the way to Emmaus.
They had just been through the darkest weekend of their lives. They had watched their best friend die. Besides being their friend, he had also been their hope of deliverance. It was a time of deep despair and loss. So, of course, they were processing it all as they walked along the Road to Emmaus. And they didn’t stop talking when another man came along.
That man was Jesus Himself– but they didn’t know it… yet. Jesus asked them what they were talking about. He gave them time to process everything with Him. He understood the emotional impact when they said, “We had hoped…” There was a lot of pain in those words: a lot of disappointment, confusion, and despair. Jesus knew.
But Jesus also knew “why,” and what lay ahead. He knew why the events of that dark weekend were essential in the overall plan. Furthermore, He understood the purpose and meaning of the events. He knew that those events would be worth the disillusionment in the long run. As they walked along that road, He began to explain to those men how the events of the weekend fit into the overall plan. Although the men were laying down their long-held dreams and aspirations, Jesus knew that letting go of old plans was an essential step for the next stage of the overall plan. And the next stage was the release of God’s dreams and aspirations into their lives. The overall plan was bigger and better and more powerful than they could even imagine.
So as I walk the Emmaus Road, I know that I’m not the first one to walk it. Others have walked it before me. Some, like me, are on the road now. Others will follow later. As I walk, I let go of the disappointments, and begin to anticipate what is coming next in God’s dreams for me. And I keep a watchful eye for the surprise and beauty of what His dreams will mean.
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