The Freedom Ride

A Four Part Devotional Through Black History

Part two - startinG THE Journey

“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin”(Zechariah 4:10)

Last summer I bought my first car, a 2015 Used Ford Escape. This was an exciting milestone for me as I could finally travel wherever I wanted to go with zero restriction from others. As a result, I planned trips, imagined possibilities, drove around, until something unexpected happened. On a cold January morning, my car would not turn on. All my plans came crashing to a halt as I sat in my car, stuck in the driveway.

More often than not, we as Christians are like cars stuck in driveways. With God as our GPS, we receive our directions, yet we fail to start moving. Hence, when God gives us instructions, He never intends for our response to be inaction. God desperately wants to see things move, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin. As we saw in part one of this devotional, when we turn aside and move on Godly instruction, purpose arises and cries get answered. Yet if we never get moving, our purposes are in question, and suffering and hardship persist. Therefore, we need to mobilize and move the Godly things out of our driveways. What in your life has been stationary for too long, maybe it’s time to get moving?

Reflection Questions

1. As the scripture says in Zechariah 4:10, small beginnings should not be despised; rather, small starts bring God great joy. In what ways have you been thinking too big and not thinking small? How can you take a small step forward this week, to prevent being motionless?

2. After learning that my car wouldn’t start, I was forced to get a jump start; and a jump start essentially is a connection to deep community. In other words, by plugging into another power source, I found the energy that I needed. And for the Freedom Riders in 1961, they jump started their journey through community and friendship. By sitting side by side in unity, the Freedom Riders were committed to leaving no activist behind and alone in a driveway. Thus, who might you need to connect with to get your journey things going?

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor” (Ecclesiastes 4:9)