eWell August 26, 2009

"Destinations" by Jessica Tadlock

Proverbs 22:3 - "The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it."

Have you ever been lost? I'm confident everyone reading this has been lost at some point. And yet, I believe it is not anyone's intention to ever be lost. The problem is you don't know when you're getting lost. You just know when you ARE lost. There's no line. You don't think to yourself, "Oh, I just got lost. Let me back up 100 feet and be found. Ok, now I know where I am." By the time you realize you are lost, you've most likely been lost for awhile.

We know, geographically, that every path has a destination, and the path we are on will determine where we end up. We know that if we get on I-10 in Tallahassee and head west, we will never make it to Jacksonville or anywhere in central or south Florida. It doesn't matter if we pray for traveling mercies, we read our Bible that day, or we've been a Christian for twenty years...none of that matters if we go the wrong direction, whether intentionally or accidentally. Direction determines destination; it's a simple concept. And we understand it as it relates to driving or hiking. But do we live like we really believe this in the other arenas of life? Too often, there seems to be a huge disconnect in the place we desire to be and the path we choose. Dean has spoken about this a lot lately at tTe Well. People call themselves Christians, and yet they do not make daily choices to reflect what they claim to believe. There seems to be this pervading attitude among Christians that, because they have their salvation "pass", their daily choices really aren't very significant. I want to take this observation a step further. To our own demise, I think we justify our everyday choices by telling ourselves they are isolated decisions. They couldn't possibly matter that much. We lie to ourselves or remain blissfully ignorant so we may enjoy the passing pleasure of sin. Either way, the result is the same. There is an inevitable cumulative effect that accompanies our daily choices. All of life is connected. Yesterday affects today which affects tomorrow. We do not make isolated decisions. Everyday decisions are paths, and paths or DIRECTION determines DESTINATION... It is NOT our hopes, NOT our dreams, NOT our prayers and NOT our beliefs; it is our direction, our daily choices that ultimately determine our where we're going.

If you get lost driving, you waste a few minutes, but if you get lost in life, you waste years and possibly an entire season of your life. Time equals life. If you waste your time, you waste your life. So often we end up brokenhearted or angry with God because we didn't end up where we wanted. We thought our intentions or our hopes or our dreams would somehow trump the decisions we make on a daily basis. We will reap what we sow (Galations 6:7-8). We cannot break or change Biblical principles; nor will God. You can only break yourself against the principle. In every area of life: finances, relationships, profession, spirituality, the same principle applies. Every path has a destination. And the path you choose in each arena will determine where and how you finish. Your success, your destiny, is hidden in the little choices you make every day, the ones so often and so easily disregarded.

Are the paths you're on right now taking you where you want to go? Don't live in the moment at the expense of your God-given purpose, your life. It is so easy for us to become fixated on the immediate that we forget the ultimate. I promise, the pain of discipline will be much less than the pain of regret (Hebrews 12:11). It's not just a date; it's not just a purchase; it's not just a little, white lie; it's not just an isolated decision...it's a path. Let your daily choices lead you to the cross, one step at a time.