Direct Your thoughts

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Prov. 3:5-6 )

There was a time when farmers on the Great Plains, at the first sign of a blizzard, would run a rope from the back door out to the barn.

They all knew stories of people who had wandered off and been frozen to death, having lost sight of home in a whiteout WHILE STILL IN THEIR OWN BACKYARDS. Little House on the Prairie fans will know what I’m talking about. If you’ve ever been in a blizzard or a whiteout, you’ll understand why the old timers did that. Your sense of direction is thrown off, and without that lifeline you don’t know what direction safety lies in, and may not be aware that you could be just steps away from where you need to be.

Without knowing where to go we can get lost, or off track. We feel like there are so many things we HAVE to get done, our ability to see clearly is dimmed when the daily events swirl around us and we don’t know what to do first. Yes, there are days and times where the blizzard is not our fault, and we’re overwhelmed with life, but that isn’t where I was going with this. I was thinking more of when we get caught up in a blizzard of our own making. How do you deal with being caught in a blizzard?

Stop, take a moment to redirect your thoughts.

David writes to “lean not on our own understanding” and “He shall direct your paths.” When God says he will direct our path, what does that look like? Think of how you walk down a path…we walk it ONE STEP AT A TIME. No matter how long the journey it’s the same – one step, then another and you keep going.

Many times the simplest, yet the hardest is to simply stop and ask for direction. Ask for the ONE step that needs to be done and then do it. Then the next.

Better yet, start your morning by seeking direction on what your most important steps are today that you need to take, and seek to get those done first and you’re off and running on the path! Be careful, though – we need to have balance to our steps.

What are the important steps today to take care of yourself, your family and work? Don’t just put work items on your list. Have a balanced approach so that when your head hits the pillow tonight you’ll know that with guidance from Him, your path today was directed and you were able to take care of the important steps on your path that needed to be accomplished.