Slideshow image

This week, pay attention to the roads you're already walking.

The Emmaus disciples didn't recognize Jesus until they invited him to stay and sat down at the table with him. This week, practice the same kind of presence:

1. Notice your road. What road are you on right now — a road of disappointment, uncertainty, or unexpected change? Name it honestly before God. The disciples' journey began with honesty, and so does ours.

2. Invite the stranger in. Is there someone in your life this week who seems like just another passerby? A coworker, a neighbor, a stranger in the checkout line? Practice seeing them the way the disciples saw their unexpected companion — as someone worth slowing down for.

3. Look for the burning heart. The disciples asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us?" This week, pay attention to the moments when something stirs inside you — in worship, in Scripture, in conversation, in creation. That burning may be exactly where Jesus is speaking.

4. Tell someone. Cleopas and his friend didn't keep the good news to themselves — they ran back to Jerusalem. Who in your life needs to hear that Jesus shows up on unexpected roads? Find a way to tell them this week.