BY JESSICA LANDMON
I have a love-hate relationship with my GPS. It gets me where I need to go when I need to go in the fastest method possible. It keeps me from getting lost. It keeps me out of neighborhoods that aren’t safe. And, it lets me know when there is an accident or traffic ahead. I honestly don’t know how I survived my early days of driving without it.
With that said, I still sometimes think I know better than it does. I try to take short cuts, choose a route slightly different than the one it suggests, and often take wrong turns. That’s when it gets annoyed with me. At first, it suggests that I simply turn around and return to the designated route. But usually I am too stubborn for that. When I commit, I commit. And that’s when the recalculating feature starts happening. Fortunately for me, the ultimate goal of the GPS is to get me to my destination no matter how off course I get. It will continually readjust its navigational path until I get back on track.
Does this process sound a little familiar? Our Heavenly Father has a purpose and plan for each of our lives. He also has a specific route that He has designed for each of us to achieve it. He so wants us to follow His perfect path. However, we often deviate from it.
When that happens, the Holy Spirit will often give us a nudge or a warning to turn around and return to His designated route. But unfortunately, we often ignore His prompt and proceed on the path that we think is best. When this happens, we may find ourselves in a dangerous area that we have no business being in. You see, God’s path is best not simply because it is His, but because His path is always marked with safety, spiritual growth, and opportunities to do His work.
There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. – Psalm 14:12
Thankfully, our God is so gracious. He always wants us to return to the path He designed for us, and He will provide alternative paths to get us back on track. The only question that remains is will we listen? Will we heed His warning? Will we decide in our hearts that His ways are better that our ways even if we don’t understand or agree with Him at the time.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:8-9
Ladies, take a moment and look at the path that you are on right now? Is it God’s path or yours? No matter how painful or uncomfortable it is at the time, your course may need a little readjusting. Remember, with God it’s never too late to find your way back.