Wayne and I had dinner with some friends one night last week. We drove separate cars since I went directly from work and he just met me there. I will be the first to admit that I am a terrible night driver and it’s even worse when it is raining.
On this night, by the time we were heading home it was dark, rainy, and a little foggy. I told Wayne I would follow him because I didn’t really know the way home from where we had met our friends in Auburn. The only roads I love at night are the ones that have the reflectors in the middle of the road so you can tell where your boundaries are. They seem to help direct you and allow you to see where you should be driving. It helps so much. However, this night we were on backroads and there were not any of those reflectors in the road.
It was so very hard to see the road and it was made even harder because I didn’t know where I was. It just happened to be raining so that complicated things. I had to focus diligently on following Wayne. I also had to focus on the road to make sure I knew where the middle line was so I didn’t cross over to another lane. I definitely had to slow down and be so much more careful to avoid going off the road.
I was thinking about this situation this week and God reminded me of times when it is so hard to see where I need to go or a decision I might need to make in my life journey. I need a Guide, especially when it’s hard to see the road.
I don’t know about you, but I think I have been on a dark road at different times in my life and for different reasons. The first thing I think of is when we have struggles with our daughter with special needs. Sometimes is it so hard to know what would be best for her. It is a huge responsibility to choose a place for her to live where she can be well taken care of. There are times when we have had to move her due to different situations that were not safe for her. When I am making decisions for her, I have to focus because I need a guide. My focus and my guide has to be on God.
Sometimes I can’t feel, see, or hear God but I know He is there. There are no reflectors on this road that I am traveling on to make decisions for Missie so I have to make sure I have a clear focus on God and allow Him to be my guide.
There can be all sorts of outside elements that can make decisions hard. If I focus on God and His Word to guide my steps, He will help me make the right decision and keep me safe. We must follow God to keep us on the right path.
There are other things in our lives that we have to make decisions on that sometimes can be difficult. Maybe it’s a job change, a move, a relationship, finances, or just a disagreement you might have with someone else. I think this is where you have to slow down. You have to be careful to not quickly jump into something you shouldn’t. You have to slow down and not get ahead of God. Slowing down gives you time to think through the situation.
So many times when we make a quick decision we are prone to make a wrong decision. My flesh can lead me down the wrong path but my God never will. In Proverbs 4:25-26 the Bible says “Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.”
There are so many decisions we are faced with in life. We have to keep our eyes on God, looking straight ahead and fixing our gaze on Him. We have to be careful to follow our guide and not get ahead of God. We have to think about the path we are on and where our feet are leading us. When the path is dark our feet could lead us the wrong way if our focus is not on God.
Decisions are hard and sometimes when we are going through a tough time they are even harder. Our emotions seem to want to lead us and honestly, my emotions can lead me astray. My God will never lead me astray.
I have so many friends that are dealing with tough things. It’s so hard when the tough things make the road dark and dreary. It’s even tougher when we can’t make sense of what we are facing. You can be overcome with worry, fear, and doubt. But God... He says He will never leave us nor forsake us. Even if we can’t see or understand the road before us we keep moving and look to God to be our guide. He will provide the reflectors in the road for us to be able to see the way we need to go.
Sometimes we have to move a little slower and a little more carefully but He will keep us on the road. I do not think I will ever be a good night driver. I don’t think I will ever enjoy driving in the rain. I also will probably always dislike the decisions that I have to make in hard tough times. However, with my focus on God, I will always have a guide.
Who knows? He might just lead me down a path that I never would have known was an option. Focus, slow down, be careful and allow God to be your guide. Who will you follow when the road is dark? I pray it is God who will be your light and guide on the dark roads of life.
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Jill Johnson, a staff member at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, finds spiritual applications in her everyday experiences as a wife, mother, grandmother and Georgian. She is available to speak to your church's women's gatherings. Reach her at jjohnson@gabaptist.org.
