I give a ring to my husband and say, "Um, I have made a wrong turn somewhere." He knows me all too well. He ends up saying to me, "Just stay where you are and when I get there you can follow me on in." I cannot tell you how much comfort that brought to this girl that is forever making wrong turns. Now, why didn't I just think of that in the first place? Why not follow the one who knows the way? Why do I forever try to do it on my own when the way doesn't seem familiar?
"Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you." Psalm 24:4-5
Do you find yourself making the wrong turns in life like me? I seem to think, "I can make it just fine", and right about that time I find myself at a dead end and trying to find a place to turn around.
Now, my husband has a built in GPS. The man is never lost. Even if he makes a wrong turn, he can simply get back to where he was and correct himself. Me? I am not blessed with that. It seems I can go the same road quite a few times and still find myself going the wrong direction. Especially at night. Everything looks different at night.
"You light a lamp for me. The Lord, my God lights up my darkness." Psalm 18:28
Once coming back home on Tuesday morning, he says to me, "Look hon, I will show you how to get in. I know, everything looks different at night." He showed me and said, "Now, where did you make a wrong turn?" I couldn't even tell him. I had no idea where I messed up. Just like my life where sin sneaks in. It comes in when I'm not looking. It sneaks in when darkness is around. See, where I must meet my husband there is no light. No light at all. So, it's very easy to miss the turn. How many times have I done this in life? Goodness, too many times to count. Just one light would make all the difference in the world. When there is light, everything in darkness is illuminated! We can find our way by following the light.
Now that I have been shown how to get there in the light of day I believe I can find my way in the dark of night.
"The Lord is my Light and my salvation, so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?" Psalm 27:1
When I make a wrong turn I find myself coming to tears in fear of where I am going to end up. My husband is teaching me to just be still and calm while I think about my grounding. What is my grounding? To trust in the Lord. Trust in His guidance and keep focused on Him and Him alone. It's when I seem to take my eyes off of Him, my destination, that I lose my way.
"Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord." Psalm 27:14
When I can't seem to find my way in life I am learning to just stop and pray. Stop and seek out my Lord who knows my path and knows just what road I need to travel to get there. Now, not every road is as scenic as another. Some journeys seem to make us smile and others we find ourselves pondering how in the world we got there and now, how in the world are we going to get back to where we were. It's when we slow down and remain calm that we can notice all the detail around us. Even though the scenery is different, we don't have to panic. We can still take great joy in the journey.
"Those who fear in the Lord are secure; he will be a refuge for their children." Proverbs 14:26
The Lord will illuminate the path before us when we have our focus open Him and not the circumstances around us. My husband asked me, "Honey, why in the world do you get so upset when you can't find your way?" That took me some time to ponder. Is it the complete and utter fear of the unknown? Maybe not finding my way back to where I began? To that I must tell myself, I cannot fear the unknown. I must trust in the Lord to guide my path and all that comes before me. There is no faith in fear. If I trust in Him, He will always light my path. No matter where I am, He will guide me back to Him.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take." Proverbs 2:5-6
