Mark Katrick faith column: A trip to Cracker Barrel results in an Apostle Paul-type moment

Recently, I was invited to breakfast at the Cracker Barrel in Zanesville. Since many, many pages have turned on the calendar since I’d last been there, I said to myself: “Self, you’re surely going to need directions for this one.” By the way, a member of the church I was called to serve there once directed me to “drive to the middle of the Muskingum River and turn right.”

Then my self replied, “Once upon a time, you lived and worked in the Y-Bridge City. You can find it on your own. Have a little faith!” And I bought into it.

So on the day of our get-together, all I had to go on was the Cracker Barrel was “up there somewhere above Underwood Street.” The problem was that it’s not the only “Pleasing People Place” on that big hill.

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Naturally, I didn’t choose the right road and ended up in the wrong place. To make matters worse, it was the time of day when the sun was just beginning to peek out over the top of that big hill.

Simultaneously, a blinding light lined up with my eyes at the crest. Even with my sunglasses on, for a few very scary moments, I could not see a single, solitary thing.

Slowing to a crawl, I found a place to pull over, park and engage in a make-up conversation with my direction finder. “You should have come to me in the first place,” her computer-generated voice said.

Finally, after driving up the right road to the right place, I let out a big, deep breath of relief at a familiar sight — a row of rocking chairs on the front porch. Miraculously, I wasn’t even too late to place my own order.

Once upon a time, there was a man named Saul of Tarsus. He was on his way to an unscheduled meeting on the Road to Damascus where they were planning a campaign to harass, intimidate and generally make life miserable for the earliest followers of Christ.

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Little did he know that he had aligned with the exact location for an unscheduled meeting with Jesus. Blinded by the light of Christ, he could not see a thing. His campaign had been slowed to a crawl.

And a voice cried out, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” By the time he regained his eyesight with the able assistance of Ananias, his path to change and transformation had begun. Now known as Paul the Evangelist, he had already taken first steps to become an advocate for the earliest followers of Christ, a grower of churches, and a prolific writer of letters, preaching, teaching, and living the Christian faith.

“You should have come to me in the first place,” the still small voice within said.

So the next time you are blinded by the light from the busyness, distractions, and excesses that have prevented you from living your faith to the fullest, pull over and listen for a familiar voice. Let out a big, deep breath and believe that this is just another step in becoming the person God wants and needs you to be.

Mark Katrick is a pastor and spiritual guide.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Mark Katrick faith column: A Cracker Barrel trip results in Paul moment