Yet somehow, someway, we managed to get lost. We were driving along, talking and chatting about everything under the sun, and suddenly I looked around and thought, "Hmm, I don't recall going through downtown Southern Pines to get to the zoo." When I pointed out that I don't think I had ever gone this way before, we pulled over and discovered, to our horror, that we were way way way off the right track! No, we were definitely not supposed to go to Southern Pines. We had gone almost directly south and we were supposed to go almost directly west!
And it all started when we missed one tiny little fork in the road. We somehow missed the signs pointing to Route 64 going west and instead we stayed on Route 1 going south. When we left Raleigh, the roads were one and the same, and even when they split, they were so close together, but with each mile we traveled, we went further and further away from where we needed to be. Such a small, seemingly insignificant difference at the time. We could have walked the space between the two roads... at the beginning. But within a mile or two, each road headed in entirely different directions, and their destination was in radically different parts of the state.
And all because we missed one little tiny fork in the road as a result of inattentiveness and preoccupation.
Now, in our case, it all worked out fine. The children had gone on the bus, and while we were about an hour late (a trip that should have taken an hour and a half took us well over 2 and a half hours), they had plenty of chaperones so everyone was taken having fun in the zoo while we traversed the state. And we laughed an awful lot about it and had a good old time. But I couldn't help but be reminded how quickly as believers we can go off course. We think we are headed in the right direction, so we just go on autopilot. Life can be incredibly busy, so we start missing quiet times and forget to pray. A day here or there where we fail to read God's Word and, hey, the world doesn't come to an end, does it? The next thing you know, we haven't sought out the Lord's guidance, haven't gone to Him in His Word to be encouraged and comforted and convicted, and we suddenly look up and we are miles and miles away from where we know we ought to be and want to be. Preoccupation, busyness, exhaustion, discouragement, pride--all kinds of things silently, stealthily, cause us to miss God's still, small voice urging us to follow Him and remain in His love. And then we wonder how on earth we got to this place that seems so devoid of peace and joy and contentment.
But here's the good news: God is just one decision away from returning to Him and getting back on track and back on the right path that leads to the abundant life. We can choose to keep going the same way... and get further and further away. Or we can choose to stop, seek His forgiveness and turn around. It's never too late. It's never too hopeless. It's never too far. For He is there, wherever we go--whether Asheboro or Southern Pines! He stands ready and waiting for each of us to come to our senses, take stock of where we are and turn around and seek Him in His Word and in friendship with Him.
Don't go any further down the wrong road--it will never get you where you want to go, no matter how alluring it seems, no matter how close it seems to the right road, no matter how tempting it is to just keep going and hope for the best. Trust me, Route 1 will NOT get you to the zoo. But Route 64 will, and so, by the grace of God, we will choose to stop wringing our hands over the mistakes that led us the wrong way and we will simply turn around. Seek Him. He is seeking you. If you don't believe me, look to the cross and see how infinitely far He came and infinitely far He went to find you and save you. The journey with Him will be so worth it, go get back on the right road with the Saviour. To Him be the glory.
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