It was the second day of our vaction and we were heading out for a nice peaceful morning of hiking and enjoying the scenery before having a picnic lunch in the mountains. I forget what happened prior to me getting in the van, I'm sure was doing something productive like making sure all the food for the picnic made it in the back or something, whatever it was I wound up being the last one to the car with my grandad in the backseat dangling the car keys for me to take. And so it began... "Last one in the car has to drive!" haha
Driving in the mountains isn't nearly as harrowing as riding in the passenger seat is sometimes, however when you couple not knowing where you are going with listening to five different people telling you where they each think you should go at the same time, and then taking each one's advice to varying degrees, the passengers are sure to pay you back for the experience.
I began the journey with one voice in the back telling me to just go forward and then turn around and another voice telling me to go straight. Straight was definitely easier for me. I went with that one. Soon I found myself on a one lane street just praying that no one was coming the other direction. (It was answered yes- I was so grateful!) However we soon came to a rather steep decline for the vehicle we were in and I was faced with a decision. A voice in the front told me very assuredly that we could not make it down the hill and a voice in the back told me that we better not try so I looked for my other options. To my left was a steep incline which I was positive was not a good option for turning around because of the nice little drop off to my right. Lol I can just see us all now dangling in a precarious position from that turn around. My only other option was to back up.
So back up I did. Once again no one was coming from the direction we just came. As I was backing up I hear a few more voices from those on my right, "Now you know there's a drop off over here right?" "Yes" "Ok just checking!" After backing a little ways down the road I find a nice little area to turn around in. So I begin to back in and then pull forward to turn around. "BACK UP! BACK UP!" I hear a voice from the front say. "You're getting too close to the edge. I can't even see my eyes are covered. Oh, someone get me a blindfold!" lol very reassuring. Just for the record I made the turn fine and we all made it safely headed in the other direction. The cars come at this point but were able to pass after I backed up once again. I can just hear them now, "Stupid Texas drivers."
The rest of the story I will leave to your imagination, but involves a long winding road, a suggestion to pull over, "RIGHT THERE! RIGHT THERE!", and the smell of burning brakes (which were not mine, but led to no small excitement for a moment or two.)
As I was thinking about it all I began to realize that the way I reacted to most of the situations was how I act often in life. I listen for the voice that tells me either the way I want to go or the easiest way and follow it. Unfortunately this is not always the right way to go, it can be at times but isn't always. With things as insignificant as excursions to a good hiking spot it isn't always a big deal if we don't know the direction we are headed. It just gives us a fun story to tell later. However with more important things, like our soul, it is imperative that we know we are headed in the right direction. For the soul is much too important to leave in the hands of men's altering and sometimes contradictory directions. We must seek God and His directions through careful study and through prayer to see the paths He has laid in store for our life.
"This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls." Jeremiah 6:16a (NIV)
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