Are you one of those special people who at all times knows
exactly which direction you are going and you never get lost? I was definitely not born with the instinctive
ability to tell the difference between north, south, east or west. No matter how hard I strive to learn, I have
resigned myself to the reality that I will always be directionally challenged. For this very reason, my husband who is good with directions has
been printing out maps and directions for me whenever I have needed to travel somewhere. Recently, he has also
installed a gps application on my phone but for some reason I continue to get lost even while using a map and gps. 
Sadly, there have been numerous occasions when I’ve managed
to get lost only a few miles away from home and this seems to happen to me on a
regular basis. Since we live in the
country, I have a tendency to get preoccupied enjoying all of the breath taking
scenery while driving and don’t always pay attention to where I’m going. Making just one or two wrong turns can lead
me astray for quite some time. Many of
you may be wondering why in the world my husband would let me out on my own,
but believe me, I’m much more skilled at directions now than I used to be. It was my false sense of security in the fact that I hadn’t gotten lost in awhile that led into my most recent nerve racking predicament. A few weeks ago, I ventured out to run some errands when my pride got the best of me. It was on our way back home that I came up with the big idea to take a different road that I’ve never driven before. I should have listened to the young voice of reason coming from the back seat as my son reminded me of all the other times we had gotten lost. His gentle but firm warnings reminded me a little of how the Holy Spirit prompts us when we are about to go the wrong way, but of course I chose not to listen. After all, I am the mom and I assured him that since we'd been living at our home for over a year now that I knew the general direction that we should go. I also couldn't resist the fact that it would be fun to take a totally different path.
At first it was exciting and I felt like we were on an
adventure to explore new areas that we had never seen before. I was convinced that I had a pretty firm handle on where
we were and which way we should take to get us back to the main road leading
home. I do believe that my underlying thought process was a bit haughty because I thought that if I could
accomplish finding my way back home through another route, I could brag to my
husband that I was getting better with directions. As we drove down each gravel road, I admired the
breathtaking landscape of farms and acreages we came across and the beautiful
sun as it was beginning to set in the sky.
As it slowly grew closer to night fall and there were no familiar roads
in sight, I began to question my reasoning for taking this unfamiliar way.
Noticing the look on my face and sensing the fear resonating
in my voice, my son strongly urged the importance of us finding the gps app on
my phone so that we could get home soon. We pulled over and I managed to find a map but
I didn’t recognize where we were so I couldn’t type in my beginning location. In my technological ineptness, I continued to try to figure out how to
work the gps or find where we were located on the map. The pit in my stomach
continued to grow larger with each passing moment and I began to become more fearful and anxious. This is about the time when I usually call my
husband at home and ask for directions but he was out of town so that was not
an option this time. I finally did what
I should’ve done in the beginning and stopped to pray for God to keep me calm
and help us find our way back to the right road. It didn’t take much longer until we came to a
sign that told us we were about 1 hour away from our hometown. This realization was surprising since our wayward journey began only about 15 minutes from home. We continued to pray and I was so thankful to
finally get to a highway that I recognized and we eventually made it home.
So many thoughts scurried through my mind as I later contemplated
the craziness of our evening. What
possessed me to think it would be fun to drive through the countryside blindly following
roads that led us so far from our intended destination? What was I hoping to gain by going off the well known path? Why did I ever ignore my son’s gentle
warnings of the fact that I know I should always stay on the right road? Every single time I have strayed and gone my
own way, I end up causing myself so many problems, not to mention the fear and
anxiety I inflict on myself and others. I don't know why I deviate from the right road only to end up wasting so much time and money driving around trying to find my way back to where I should've stayed in the first place.
This whole situation reminded me of what it’s like when we
as Christians willingly and consciously decide to make a wrong turn
spiritually. We purposefully stray away
from the narrow path that God has laid out so clearly before us to follow. Often times we rationalize our rebellion by
feeling like we are harmlessly exploring the world and that there won’t ever be any
negative consequences. It may seem like an exciting adventure at first, but I assure you that following the wrong road will
always lead us to become disoriented and disillusioned. Once we have wasted the time and money that God has graciously given us to use for working in His kingdom, we are left only with regret and guilt from
violating and turning from His perfect path and plan for our lives.
You may be like me and be prideful and stubborn, refusing to
heed the voice of reasoning warning you of your need to turn back to the right
road. Maybe you even feel as if it’s too
late for you to get back on track because you’ve been following your own way
for so long. You’ve made so many wrong
turns you have given up and you’re lost, scared, hopeless and defeated. With God, it is never ever too late to
humble yourself and admit you chose to take a wrong path and humbly confess it. We won't ever be so lost that we cannot make a right turn and find our way back to the narrow road that leads to blessing.
To find the right road again, it is crucial that we acknowledge
we have been lost and ask God to forgive us for our disobedience. We can then be restored back into His loving
arms and enjoy His sweet fellowship once again. I have found that the best way to never get lost, is to stay on the narrow route. It is the only way to follow in life to be
able to experience the full abundance of God’s blessings is to simply stay on
the right course. Psalm 119:1, “Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord."
