Went Down to the Crossroads

There is an 80’s movie called CROSSROADS starring Ralph Macchio and I loved it.  This movie is loosely based around the legend of blues guitarist Robert Johnson.  “According to a legend known to modern blues fans, Robert Johnson was a young black man living on a plantation in rural Mississippi. Branded with a burning desire to become a great blues musician, he was instructed to take his guitar to a crossroad near Dockery Plantation at midnight. There he was met by a large black man (the Devil) who took the guitar from Johnson and tuned it. After tuning the guitar, the Devil played a few songs and then returned it to Johnson, giving him mastery of the guitar. This, in effect, sold Johnson's soul; and in exchange Robert Johnson became able to play, sing and create the greatest blues anyone had ever heard.”[1] 
           
What extremes do people go to to get the one thing they think they need?  If you watch the news you will see a lot of people who go to some pretty amazing extremes to get what they want.  An addict will rob a pharmacy in order to get drugs.  A person who loses his job will rob a bank to get money to pay the bills.  An executive will steal from the common man in order to get financial gain.  What we humans do to get something that will fade away, rust or squandered away is amazing.

The story of Robert Johnson should be a reminder to us, that when we stand at the crossroads of life we need to decide what we are willing to sacrifice or give to God in order for him to be glorified in our lives and in this world.  Are we willing to sacrifice anything and everything in order to be followers of Jesus?  As I sit here and reflect on this story of Johnson I wonder how many of us have compromised our faith in order to attain something that has little eternal value.  How many of us have sacrificed our families in order to have bigger homes?  How many of us have sacrificed our morals for a quick fix (whether it be for drugs, alcohol or an affair)?  Or worse yet how many of us have sacrificed our relationship with God and fellowship with believers simply because we just don’t feel like putting in the effort?  I pray that as we stand at the crossroads that we can willingly give all to God and allow Him to truly be our hope, our heart, and our desire.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Johnson_(musician)