For two of the years I was in seminary, I pastored a tiny country church 175 miles east of Denver. For a year, Gail and I saved money by living in the church's small parsonage. That meant on Tuesday at 4 a.m. I would leave the house and make a three-hour drive in our Volkswagen Beetle to Denver.

The drive along Route 36 from the Kansas border to Denver was almost a straight shot. As you looked westward to the horizon, you sensed that the car could go in any direction and never run into a barrier. It was smooth sailing.

Life is sometimes like that. No barriers. You feel, I can do anything I want if I am willing to work hard enough. And pray hard enough. And study hard enough. I once believed that myself.

But back to Route 36. Just beyond the town of Last Chance, Colorado, you suddenly see three mountain peaks on the horizon—Pike's Peak to the south, Long's Peak to the north, and Mount Evans directly to the west. Instantly the illusion of a barrierless journey is pricked by the realization ...