Be Willing To Change Direction

So they divided the land they were to cover, Ahab going in one direction and Obadiah in another. 1 Kings 18:6 (NIV) 

Often in life we think we are on the right course only to find that we had gotten lost, or later realize we were on the wrong path all along. It is hard to admit it when we are lost. It is humiliating to admit that what we thought was right way was absolutely the wrong direction. 

Yet to follow God's will for our life we must often turn around and go in a new direction. It is easy to assume we are headed the right way. It looked like the right road, it seemed the proper direction for our life, but we come up against an obstacle we cannot cross over. A wall looms up before us, and we have to admit we were headed the wrong way. 

Changing direction can be very hard. What we were doing was easy and we were coasting along smoothly, or so it seemed. But it is the wise person who is willing to reconsider, willing to humble themselves and think perhaps they should stop doing what they have done and do something new instead. 

There is a saying: "When you find you are digging yourself into a hole, stop digging." It can be scary to do something new or different. Yet we can get too comfortable and resist change because change often demands something more of us. 

At times in my life health problems have demanded that I make changes. For instance, a diagnosis of diabetes demanded that I severely restrict or limit sugar and carbohydrates from my diet. I thoroughly enjoyed cake, cookies, and sweets in general. But I had to let them go and change my diet. It is a change I needed to make but did not enjoy making. Nevertheless, my health is better for accepting that change. 

God may move us to new directions. He does not nudge us toward change to harm us, or to make our life more difficult, but because He wishes to bring us blessings. Our vision is limited, but God can see all things. The road He sends us down may seem rougher, rockier, less pleasant than the road we were on, yet in the end we will receive His goodness for our obedience. 

You may find yourself on a difficult path. Perhaps you took the wrong road, or maybe God has placed you in a challenging place. Through prayer, the word of God, and listening to the guiding voice of God's Spirit, you can find your way. Change direction, or simply follow His lead as He guides you into His will for your life. 

Prayer: Dear Lord, often we find ourselves on a comfortable, but wrong road. We need Your guidance and wisdom to help us find our way into Your will. Amen. 

Karlton Douglas 

Copyright 2017