There once lived a man named Alvin Straight. He lived in Iowa. His brother Henry lived in Wisconsin. Alvin loved his brother. In 1994, at the age of eighty, Henry had a stroke. Alvin, in his late 70s himself, could not imagine not being there for the brother he loved, but he had no driver’s license and he was uneasy about forms of public transportation. So Alvin climbed aboard his riding lawnmower and set out on a 240-mile journey that would eventually lead him to Henry.
The road was anything but easy, going all that way on a lawnmower. He broke down several times. He ran out of money. Day after day passed, Alvin traveling at a speed of 5 mph most of the time. But nothing could have stopped Alvin from getting to his destination. The love of his brother was a greater power than all the hardships combined. After nearly six weeks, he finally got to his brother.
Alvin’s story is an amazing one. What Jesus asks us to do because of our love of him is amazing as well. We are to take up our cross and follow him, giving away all we have, even our very lives, so that we may be free to follow. The road is not easy and all of us fall and end up sitting on the side of the road. But our love of Jesus should be stronger than any force we could meet up with along the way. His love for us was stronger than anything he faced along his journey with the cross. Just like Alvin, nothing could have stopped Jesus from completing his journey. Just like Alvin, we are called to make a similar journey and stay on course, regardless of the cost.
Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS
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