“Which way do you think we should go,” I asked my uncle as we stood tired and shivering in the woods of upper Michigan. History had taught me as soon as the truck was out of sight, my uncle was officially lost. “That way,” he said pointing with his finger in the direction he thought we should start walking. I did an about-face and started walking in the opposite direction. We arrived at the truck within minutes. (Pause for Thought: “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.”—Proverbs 14:12. Have you ever been lost? How did being lost make you feel? What thoughts passed through your mind? Did these emotions and thoughts help or hurt your situation?)
It’s not surprising my uncle becomes befuddled when losing focus on where he’s come from and where he’s going. His dad, my grandpa, would fail to arrive at our intended destination more than once during our outdoor adventures together. Many times he would convince me to go with him to an obscure or relatively unknown fishing destination he found on a map. Unfortunately, the minute he perceived the surroundings (roads, woods, etc.) to be “different” from the map directions; he would declare the map, or worse yet, the compass to be in error. I can think of three such excursions in which we never arrived at the lake of opportunity. I have since found all three lakes by trusting the map and compass. (Pause for Thought:
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”—John 14:6. What do you use as a moral compass? How accurate is it? Do you trust and walk in the light of Jesus’ statement, “I am THE WAY”? If not, why?)
Science has proven people can’t physically walk in a straight line unless their eyes are focused on a fixed point. Spiritually speaking, ever since sin entered the world, we have been prone to wander off course and find it difficult to get and stay on the straight path without our souls being fixed on the Holy Spirit. I can safely say I’ve had times in my journey with Christ when I didn’t understand the path He and I were walking. However, the more I’ve learned to trust Him, and enter His word while fixed on His spirit, the pathway in this journey seems clearer. It reminds me of Henry Frapp’s statement in the movie, The Mountain Men—I paraphrase, “Have I ever been lost? I’ve been a mite confused for three of four months—but I ain’t never been lost!” (Pause for Thought: “I will instruct you and teach you in THE WAY you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.”—Psalm 32:8. How does it feel knowing God is fixed on you and your situations? How have you listened and obeyed His counsel in the past? What were the results? What direction is He instructing you to take right now? Will you follow? Why or why not?)
