Straightening Your Path

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your path straight. ~Proverbs 3:5-6

Does your path need straightening? I didn’t think mine did, but lately I’ve been bombarded with similar messages everywhere I turn.

A special guest radio DJ on my normal channel.

An unexpected “prayer Sunday” at a different church we attended this weekend.

Today’s daily devotional.

Hmmm…maybe God’s trying to tell me something. Maybe I should be paying attention.

What suffering and persecution and pain and difficulties do is not so much make us weak, as show us we are weak. Without them, we can deceive ourselves into believing we’re prizefighters. With them, we’re reminded that we’re not constructed to function on our own power.

~Jan Dravecky, Women’s Devotional Bible, Zondervan

Bills. Health issues. Relationship troubles. A fight with a friend. A savage rumor. A church dispute. Who do you turn to when faced with the troubles and difficulties life throws your way? Your spouse? A friend? Yourself? What about God?

What do you think? Does your path need straightening?

Drop me a comment below and let me know your thoughts so we can continue to find our common grounds.

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Forgiveness isn’t the issue…

Have you ever felt betrayed? Hurt? Sad? Disappointed?

Maybe you expected more.

Maybe you expected respect. Trust. Security.

Sometimes, we hold on to this feeling of betrayal even when forgiveness has been granted. Maybe even time and again.

So, if forgiveness isn’t the issue, what is?

How do we let go of that feeling of being betrayed? Or disparaged? Or deceived?

What if we look at how Jesus responded to the ultimate betrayal? Maybe we can find strength in his words, his actions, his faith.

²⁰When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. ²¹And while they were eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.”

²²They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely not I, Lord?”

²³Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. ²⁴The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”

²⁵Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?”

Jesus answered, “Yes, it is you.”

~Matthew 26:20-25

Jesus knew that one of the 12 closest men to him would betray him. He knew it ahead of time. And yet, he didn’t lash out that night. He didn’t get mad. He stated it as an obvious fact that was meant to be. How did he do that? He relied on his faith that His Father had a plan.

Can we do the same?

Can we trust that the Lord has a plan? That this spot of rain in an otherwise sunny section of life is part of that plan? That we’ll come out on the other side better people? Stronger people?

Of course we can. We have to, don’t we?

How do you deal with betrayal? What’s worked for you? Drop your comment for Thought-Providing Tuesday below.

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How will you savor the moment?

Quick: Pick one of your fondest memories from your childhood. Got it? Good. What is it? When is it?

For me, there are many. But the one that always springs to mind is my dad, my mom and me on vacation in Yellowstone National Park. I was in sixth grade (I think). I’m basing this on the fact that I still had glasses, and they were totally rockin’ – for the 80s, anyway. But I digress.

My mom snapped a picture of my dad and me. I’m sitting on the railing of the front porch of the log cabin my mom booked us into at a dude ranch. (Yes, a real-life dude ranch.) My dad is behind me with a funky hat on he always wore. That’s it. Nothing special about the picture itself.

It’s what it represents.

Watch for Falling Rock!

Every time I see it, I’m transported back in time. I’m 12 again, riding in the backseat of my parents’ car. We’d bought this rabbit puppet that was really cute. Somewhere along the way, Dad decided to have the rabbit “drive.” He’d put the rabbit on his hand and place his hand on the steering wheel. Then, each time a car passed us, he’d have that rabbit wave to the driver. I’m telling you, we got some pretty weird looks, as you can imagine – and we laughed hysterically.

And then there’s Falling Rock. Have you seen him? We’re constantly reminded to “Watch for Falling Rock.” Who is this Falling Rock, Dad wonders? We never did “find” him even though he was supposed to be everywhere we went. It’s still a joke in our family when driving through mountainous/rocky areas. Silliness, but it stuck with me.

We created a moment.

I can smell the crisp, clean air. See the cabin. Smell the smoke from the chuck wagon trip we took on horseback up the mountain a ways. I’m there. And yet, I’m here. And all it took was that one memory – even though the moment was fleeting.

Those moments will always mean so much to me. Laughter. Joy. Relaxation. Carefree fun. A sense of belonging. All being right with the world. Happiness. Love. Family.

Savor the Moment

And yet it’s gone in an instant. The time goes by way too quickly. Here I am more than two decades later, a wife, a mother and creating my own moments. I mean, it seems like last week that I brought my son home from the hospital, rocked him and held him.

He’s six. Where has the time gone? One of the best pieces of advice (so far, anyway) that I received from my mother was this: Live in the moment because the moment is fleeting and once gone cannot be reclaimed.

That’s why it’s so important to cherish each moment. To love each other fully, deeply – faults and all. 1 Peter 4:8-9 tells us:

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.

How will you live in the moment? How will you savor it? How will you create your own memories? How will you show hospitality? Love? What will your children remember from their time with you?

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Who am I? How did I get here?

I read a post from my blogging friend at …a place for thoughts that got me thinkin’. She said:

…there are so many people and surroundings that have made me what I am today. Because every situation and person that has been a part of my life has provided me with something. Whether that something was a positive or negative; it shaped me. I think of the ways that I have shaped others. There are moments I can be proud of and others I’d change if I could. But then if those moments didn’t happen the way they did; today wouldn’t be the today that it is. For either party.

I’ve often thought the same thing. Even though there are several things I think I’d do differently if I had the chance, the truth is if I did them differently I would be a different person. For example, I may have never met one of my best friends, Jennifer. I may have never met my husband, which means I’d have never had my son. And the list goes on. And, while I definitely have my faults, I kinda like me – and my life – the way it is! 😉

Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.  ~Proverbs 19:21 (NIV)

Somehow I think that while we often try to control the course of our lives, God leads us down the paths we were meant to travel to achieve his will. This may have us wondering, “Who am I? How did I get here?” We just have to walk in faith.

What about you? Would you change anything about your life if you could go back in time? What would it be? How would it impact your current situation? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Image by: Heart & Soul Reflections

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