The Path - Stay or Stray?

My son Andrew, his therapist, and I went for a walk in town recently. Andrew, who is autistic, likes to walk a certain path over and over. The repetition is soothing to him. Well, on this particular afternoon, we decided to let Andrew deviate from his normal path. What started out as a simple stroll around the block quickly became an exercise in disaster.

As we neared the end of a cul-de-sac, he spied an electric fence. Curiosity got the better of him, and he began to wriggle away from us. Knowing the danger, we tried to redirect Andrew and get him to head back toward home. He was having none of it. A struggle ensued, and I found myself repeatedly picking him up off of a stranger’s lawn. It must have been quite the sight—two women practically wrestling a kid—and quite possibly losing. We had to use the cell phone to call in reinforcements. He was not going without a fight.

Much like the biblical Jonah, our straying from the plan landed us in an unsafe situation. Jonah ran from the path God had set for him, landing both him and his fellow shipmates in danger.

Andrew’s therapist and I knew what was best for him, but Andrew stubbornly insisted on his own way. Jonah knew what God required of him, but he fled. He trusted in his own reasoning instead of God’s perfect will.

http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1382338

How often do we try to do something on our own, only to see it fail miserably? Unlike Jonah, we may not be swallowed by a huge fish when we try to do something our way, but the results of our stubbornness can be just as devastating. Spiritual emptiness. Moral depravity. Financial ruin. How can we avoid this turmoil we impose upon ourselves?

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight.”

Leaning on our own understanding leads us away from the good God has planned for us. Trusting in God and submitting to His will keep us from the twisted roads that lead to destruction.

Following our own reasoning is a fate worse than being stranded in a cul-de-sac with a testy tyke. Look to God instead, and thrill in the straight paths He will lead you down.