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| Which Way? |
Sometimes,
we find ourselves on the wrong side. The wrong side of a sports team that lost
the game, the wrong side of a job not suited for us, the wrong side of planning
a disastrous vacation, the wrong side of a conversation, and even the wrong
side of a travel destination.
“A man ended up
on the wrong side of the Arctic after boarding a flight 1,400 miles in the
OPPOSITE direction! He had followed the wrong queue on the airport tarmac and
didn’t realize his mistake until the plane landed. It’s near impossible to get on the wrong flight with all the security measures that airports
put in place – but somehow a Canadian man managed it.” (Rosie
Gizauskas, thesun.co.uk)
And how about ending up in a cemetery? “My daughter and I were visiting a college in Bangor, Maine. After a nice
trip, we had our GPS take us back to the car rental agency. Except … it just
didn’t seem like it was taking us the right way. We were in the middle of
nowhere and pulled up to a graveyard and the GPS said, ‘You have arrived at
your destination.’ We did end up having a pleasant walk around a beautiful
cemetery, however.” (Alan Willett, New York, Geico.com)
Story
Rewriting
Our Story
We can
all surely relate with our own stories. Funny or serious our tales are usually
quite embarrassing. Life simply doesn’t allow us, humans, to get by without ending
up on the wrong side of whatever now and then. Maybe it was because of a lack
of planning. Maybe it was the wrong time, place, or person. It has happened to
all of us.
Thankfully,
there are second chances. We can usually re-do or un-do our mistakes with a
little effort. It may pinch some or hurt for a period of time, but we can and
will survive if we are determined to change our outlook and methods. What is amazing
is that often when we try, the result is even better than our first attempt.
“The
decisions you make today will determine the stories you tell tomorrow.” (Craig Groeschel,
author and pastor of Life Church)
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| Find the right path |
It’s
when we resist change and continue with our same thoughts and behavior that it
never works out for us and we don’t stop to figure out why. We must realize if
what we are doing is not working, then we need to find a different path. And,
yes, that is scary because we prefer to stay in our comfort zone—it’s cozy, cushy,
and cuddly. And best of all, it doesn’t require anything from us. But staying in
that contented environment solves absolutely nothing. We know what a bear looks
like after a long winter season of hibernating, right? Podgy, paunchy, and
pudgy. Exactly what we don’t care to look like!
Finding
Clear Vision
New
plans are called for now to avoid living on the wrong side of life. But we are
going to need some help and direction. Once we have that, our vision will
become clearer. Some people have very supportive family members or friends to
call on to brainstorm ideas. (An alternative would be a professional
counselor). We can bounce thoughts and viewpoints off them and begin to form
perspectives—a better picture in our minds of what a new life can look like.
This is exciting!
In the
Bible this kind of wisdom is often called discernment and is very
valuable to us. We do need to make some plans, but we also must understand that
God has a certain purpose for each of us and without asking for His help, our
plans will end up on the wrong side of life. So, let’s have a “conference” with
Him each morning and brainstorm. He will listen and give excellent directions.
The road looks rosy now!
“You
can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail” (Proverbs 19:21 NLT).
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