Finding the Way (11/12/2026)

Year ago, when I was still in high school, my father and I drove from Iowa to Georgia together. At one point, my father grew tired, so he went from driver to navigator, and I went from navigator to driver. At first, we were doing fine. Dad’s eyes grew heavy, he nodded off. And when he woke up, he knew within minutes that I had gotten us lost. But my dad taught me a huge lesson that day, he smiled and said, “Don’t worry, you can get anywhere for here including where we need to be.”

Sure enough, a little father down the road, my dad told me to take a turn, then a little later another turn, and before I knew it, we were back on the road that took us where we wanted to go.  It wasn’t the direct route, but it was a doable route that took us to our destination. We tried to put a spin on it; we called it the scenic route. Truth be told, there was nothing scenic about it. However, Dad proved his point, one can get anywhere from where they are.

I have learned my point of getting anywhere from where I am the hard way. That is code for “I have taken the wrong turn often.” My life is like that. But I’ve thankfully learned that heading the wrong way doesn’t have to be forever. I’ve applied it beyond travel to my life.

When I realize I’m not going where I want to go or need to go, I know that I can get anywhere from where I am, that especially applies to the right path when I have strayed.

When we realize we are headed away from our true destination -  life in, with and through our LORD and loving relationships with the LORD and our sisters and brothers -  we have the power to right our journey. We have the power to get there from any point, with one caveat; we must admit we’re on the wrong path and we must prayerfully seek the courage and the fortitude to get back to the right path.

Getting back isn’t always easy. It’s rarely the case of one turn and we’re back. It is usually more complicated than that. Rule number two that my dad taught me was that difficult doesn’t mean impossible, it just means longer and with more effort. But if the destination is worth it, we can and will strive to right our path.

One more point, it’s not uncommon for us to get lost more than once, especially when we’re talking about our life’s journey. It’s more complicated than a trip to the store. There are more opportunities to take our eyes off the path and miss a turn or get distracted by the scenery and forget our real purpose. But reality usually returns, we realize we’re not heading in the direction we need to be, and we can find our way back.

We all take wrong turns. We all find ourselves headed in the wrong direction or with the wrong company. The point is that these aren’t irreversible. Let us frequently take note of where we are and whether we are heading in the right direction. Let us commit to prayerfully “recalculating the route.” Let us listen to the Spirit’s guidance and rely upon the Spirit’s grace to correct our errors and get us back on the right path that will lead us to our destination, life in abundance with our loving LORD.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.