Lost in life? Stop and ask for directions!
(Photo credit: toastforbrekkie)
We’ve all been in a car with a driver who was clearly lost, but too stubborn or too overwhelmed to admit it. We probably stewed in frustration as he or she drove aimlessly, often in circles, passing the same street corner multiple times. Despite our impatient pleas to just stop and ask for directions, the person continued to insist that the destination had to be “just around this next corner.”
Or perhaps you have been that driver?
Do you ever wonder why? Why is there such resistance to asking for directions when driving? Is it pride? Stubbornness? Denial? Laziness? Uncertainty about who to ask? Fear of getting the wrong directions?
We could ask the same questions of ourselves when we refuse to ask for directions in life. When we get “lost” in pain and trials, it’s not our first instinct to pull over and ask for directions. Instead, most of us will try to remain behind the wheel as long as possible, wandering aimlessly through the chaos, following the same unfruitful path, going in circles with no progress, and growing increasingly frustrated and discouraged.
What new territory are you “lost” in today? Did your loved one return from war a different person? Did you get the diagnosis no one wants to hear? Is your child making choices that are painful to watch? Are you facing a financial hardship that seems insurmountable? Is your marriage falling apart? Has an addiction taken over? Are you fighting a depression that saps your will to keep going?
Guess what? You’re not expected to have all the answers. You’re not expected to know how to do this. You’re in new territory. You’ve never been here before. Doesn’t it make sense, if you have not passed this way before, to simply ask for help from someone who has? That “someone” is God. He’s waiting for you at every corner and every gas station you pass on your painful journey. He knows the territory you’re in better than anyone else. He knows how to get you safely through it. He knows what you need. Will you continue driving in circles in your pride, stubbornness, fear, or denial? Or….will you just pull over and ask for directions?
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Sharlene Prinsen 
I had gone through a very painful time losing a friendship. A friendship that I valued a great deal. After the friendship had stalled and vanished, I had wore myself out trying to understand the situation. I’d repeat everything that was said, or not said, until I was exhausted. Then one night, after 3 months of “mind mush”, the revelation came! The answer isn’t within me or my ability to reason. It’s in God alone! And I don’t have to understand everything to enjoy a peaceful life. Peace can be ours if we let go, and let God direct us in life’s challenges!
I’m somewhat of a “control freak”, and it is soooo hard sometimes to admit you need help, but I know I’ve found in the past — as my kids moved away from home….and have done things “their way” — not necessarily mine, it is much easier to “Let Go – and Let God” take care — it’s the only way to find true Peace.