Rather than get depressed by watching old footage of the events of September 11th, 2001, I decided to listen to Christian music Sunday morning. The album in my car CD player just happened to be Geoff Moore and the Distance. Before exiting my vehicle, the song God Bless the Broken Road began. The lyrics helped me realized If it wasn’t for 9/11, I would have never become a High School Bible Teacher.
Thus says the Lord: Stand by the roads and look; and ask for the eternal paths, where the good, old way is; then walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk in it! 17 Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hear and obey the sound of the trumpet! But they said, We will not listen or obey, Jeremiah 6:16-17.
Prior to September 11th, I was working as an Independent Contractor and serving as a Staff Writer for Travel Golf Media. Due to the restrictions on air travel following this terrorist attack, my writer position was the first broken road to lead me to consider teaching. When my bank contracts were reduced at the end of 2001, this was the second broken road, leading me to interview for a open position in 2002.
Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and spacious and broad is the way that leads away to destruction, and many are those who are entering through it. 14 But the gate is narrow (contracted [k]by pressure) and the way is straitened and compressed that leads away to life, and few are those who find it, Matthew 7:13-14.
Whenever you endure hardships like death or tragedy, God uses these events to get your attention. After working nights for 2 years, I took the leap of faith when I received a call from Red Lion Christian Academy out of the blue asking, “can you start at the beginning of the second semester?” While the images of September 11th, 2002, are heard to forger, God uses broken roads to lead you toward God’s will for your life. I spent 10 wonderful years as a golf coach and teacher all because of a broken road.
by Jay Mankus
