Intersections
Detours
Normally I take 7th street from my prayer partner's house to another part of the city. But yesterday I decided to go a few blocks north to 12th street. When I neared my turnoff I saw 40 cars trying to turn left before a detour. So I decided to take the detour! In a few minutes I found myself at an intersection of country road and roadblock!
There were no signs telling me how to continue. GPS didn't know about my quandary either. So I took the country road, which took me to another roadblock, and then another, and yet another. I ended up all of 10 miles past where I really needed to be! Dog tired but determined, I wound my way back to Fargo to pick up my family at the West Acres Mall.
Paralysis or Progress
The Choice
Sometimes in life, we feel just like I did yesterday: we feel like every which way we turn leads to yet another roadblock. We just get one problem solved and another appears. Life creeps along ever so slowly with two steps forward and one step back. And if we aren't careful, we start to live in such a way as to believe that we will never get out of the emotional traffic jam we are in.
As time goes on and we face more challenges, setbacks and even tragedies, it is easy to begin to feel like we are the only ones that have this many obstacles to deal with. We can convince ourselves that God is picking on us. If we allow ourselves to believe that we have to face more difficulties than those around us, it eventually leads us to spend more time feeling sorry for ourselves than time overcoming our roadblocks.
The Path
Share Your Trials
As I reflected on my experience yesterday, I realized that I was certainly not alone in all of the roadblocks I was coming up against. I wasn't being picked on by the Department of Transportation more than any other driver was. Had I thrown up my hands in despair and given up, I never would have rejoined my family as planned! I would still be sitting at the intersection of country road and roadblock!
What roadblocks are you facing today? Our prayer is that you will look to God to help you find your way through and around what is happening in your life right now.
"You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your Presence, with eternal pleasures at your right Hand. Psalm 16:11 New International Version, Holy Bible