Lately, I have been using a lot of freeways and began to wonder the difference between highways and freeways. It turns out, freeway can be defined as a "limited access highway." Oh, the irony! Who knew "free" meant limited access? A highway is a road going from point A to point B, most often connecting cities, with many intersections, businesses, and homes in between. Highways have more stop lights and fewer lanes (sometimes even have more traffic), while freeways go faster and are wider. That's probably why we hear of highwaymen and not "freewaymen"--there's a slim chance of a robber being successful with cars zooming by at seventy-five miles per hour.
Something has also been bothering me about using the term freeway... There's really no freedom in deciding where you want to go. There are different on-ramps, exits, and freeways you can take, but you can't suddenly decide what to do. For example, if you see a McDonalds next to the freeway, you have to wait for an exit; you have to use the roads that have been made, not carve your own path on a freeway. And if, by chance, you miss your exit, you can't turn around. You have to keep driving and wait for the next exit (and hope there's another one close by).
Somehow, in my mind, I made a connection between highways, freeways, and obedience to God. Freeways are when you are trying to obey God, while highways are the times of disobedience. This epiphany came when I heard someone say "It's my way or the highway." I feel like God is often saying this to me--Obey me. Trust me. Do as I say. As I said before, highways are slower and encounter more cross-roads (therefore more wrong turns), detours, and highwaymen. Especially without directions or a map. That seems to describe what happens when we disobey God.
Freeways best illustrate obedience. God has a path planned for us, He tells us to make a specific turn, and we can choose to go His way or not. Sometimes that means we take the wrong exit and start driving the highway. Other times, we get stuck in traffic because we hesitate to listen. And still there are times where we actually follow His instructions and experience a pleasant journey.
Another thought about the term freeway... It is called free, not because of the freedom to choose where to go, but for the lack of toll fees. The freeway is paid for by taxes, but it is not required to pay each and every time you enter or exit the freeway. Think about it. Each and every time you disobey you don't have to pay your way back into His presence. He asks you to sacrifice (money, time, etc.), but He doesn't charge you every time you decide to obey. God made the ultimate sacrifice to pay for our entrance onto the freeway--Christ.
Now when I go on a freeway I think of God saying "My way or the highway." I pray that we can all have the strength and grace to do God's will, and never have to leave the freeway of obedience.
