Am I going my direction or God’s direction? Latanya Fraser Cato for Christian Today
Recently I was on an unfamiliar road heading home. I had taken this road a couple of times, but I am terrible with directions. While driving, I had a lot of things on my mind; hence I lost focus. I was relying on my sub-conscience to remember the right turn. However, after driving for a while, I noticed I was on a road I didn’t recognize.
I contemplated turning back, but I wasn’t sure how far I had come from where I was supposed to turn. In the end, I decided to use the GPS. The GPS pointed me in the right direction, and I got home safely. However, it took me 30 minutes more to get to my destination.
Sometimes we are on the correct path, walking in the will of God. Then, we get distracted. These distractions consume our thoughts to the point where we don’t recognize how far we have gone off course until it’s too late. When we get to the point where we realize we are lost and need God’s leading, he is able to re-route and take us on the right path.
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The road we take may be more complicated than the previous one, but the important thing is that we get there.
40 years instead of 40 days
The children of Israel had just been delivered. I can imagine the joy they experienced initially after being freed. However, while travelling to the promised land, they weren’t focused on God’s tremendous power; doubt consumed them. As a result, they took 40 years to get to a place that would’ve taken them 40 days, one year for each day.
When we have just found Christ, the peace and joy we experience can be compared to none. However, as circumstances arise, our focus may be shifted. This shift in focus can lead us astray, and sometimes we get so consumed that we don’t recognize the changes occurring. However, it’s never too late to repent once we have life.
I remember a point in my life when I was angry. This anger occurred to the point where I would easily lash out. I didn’t recognize how my actions affected others and how much I had changed until someone said it to me. They told me that I had changed; they’d never seen me like that. This caused me to do some self-introspection and prayer. God was able to re-route my emotions, and I was better able to control them.
God steps in
The beauty about God is that the moment we recognize how lost we are or that our actions aren’t pleasing to him, he steps in. However, we must humble our hearts and allow him to take control. I depended on the GPS entirely to take me in the right direction in the same way we should rely on God.
Like the prophet Jeremiah, we need to admit that we cannot do it by ourselves: “LORD, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps” (Jeremiah chapter 10, verse 23).
