Trusting -- When the Path Ahead is Foggy

Imagine yourself stopped behind a loooooooong line of traffic on a crowded highway. A policeman raps on your window and informs you that the bridge ahead has collapsed and you will need to turn around and find an alternate route and then he gives you directions telling you where to go to find another way. Do you a)tell him he's crazy and doesn't know what he's talking about and that you're going to keep going the way you want to go because it's the only way to get where you want to go OR b)keep questioning him and asking him if he's sure the bridge is out and that maybe he should go back and check and see if perhaps he was wrong OR c)trust that he knows what he is talking about and turn around and follow the directions that he's given you. Hopefully, most of us would choose c as our answer, but how many times do we choose a or b when communicating with the Father who sees and knows ALL things. He always has our best interests in mind, and He is always there to hold our hand and guide us even when it's along a path that seems to be going in the opposite direction of where we think we want to go. As I grow in Him and come to know Him more, my trust is growing deeper and even though sometimes I still doubt and struggle with trusting, I can look at the past and see the times that He had a different plan in mind than my own and I am reminded that His plan was so much better than my own. In my mind, I've set up memorial stones just as God had the Israelites do to remember His faithfulness. These help to remind me of His faithfulness when my doubts and fears overwhelm me. He sees the whole picture - past, present, and future - and knows completely what is best for me. Lord, please help me to choose to trust You especially at the times that it is hardest. Thank You for your faithfulness in the past and Your promised faithfulness for the future! Help me to trust You at the times that I just want to charge ahead even though You've set up warnings for me to be cautious and perhaps even to turn back. You are so faithful and loving and kind and totally in control!

Little Red Riding Hood

We all remember hearing the story of Little Red Riding Hood and thinking that the little girl was so foolish for trusting the wolf and not seeing him for who he really was. Have you ever wondered if perhaps the author of this story was trying to get a message across? In the past few weeks, I've been reading some of Francine Rivers biblical historical fiction about men and women of the Bible. It's fascinating and very intriguing. It has really helped me to see the people of the Bible in a real way rather than "just a Bible story character." They were real people living life just like us. In reading about these people, I've come to see that people are really just the same as they've always been. We still have weaknesses and blind spots and most importantly we are still desperately in need of the grace and mercy of our God. When our eyes are taken off our God--the one true God--and His strength, we lose our perspective and are unable to see clearly. When we see the wolf as just a nice guy who we meet along our walk of life and not a ferocious beast who is eager to devour us, we are on the path to disaster. That wolf in the story only had one objective in mind -- have Little Red Riding Hood for lunch! However, he was cunning enough to know how to lure her in little by little so as not to scare or alarm her. Are we being lured in little by little to the trap of the enemy? Are we viewing him as just a harmless creature that really poses no threat? As long as we keep doing the nice little Christian thing by going to church, singing our praise songs, reading our assigned Bible readings, and so on and so forth, just like Little Red Riding Hood just continued to proceed on her way to Grandmother's house to deliver her goodies, do we think that the enemy will just sit idly by and watch what we are doing with no thought of harm against us? Perhaps we need to be on our guard a bit more and instead of just skipping along the nice and comfortable path of life, we need to return home to the Father who knows that our enemy is big and bad and dangerous beyond our imagination. He desires to protect us, but if we don't listen to His warnings, it's kind of hard to stay under His protective wings. Oh, Father, please open our eyes to the cunning ways of the enemy so that we can see and flee from them! Help us not to be blind to his crafty and oftentimes seemingly harmless ways. Open our eyes so that we can see clearly and be on our guard and also that we may see You for who You truly are as well! Not someone who has given us rules to make our lives boring and dull, but Someone who sees the greater picture and can give us guidelines to stay protected through the journey of life. Thank You for Your love and Your patience with us as Your children! Help us to guard our hearts and minds on a daily if not moment by moment basis. Thank You for your desire to protect us and keep us safe in the shelter of Your arms. Help us not to turn our noses up or to fall prey to the trap of thinking that we don't need Your protection because we're "strong Christians." Lord, we are weak and frail and in desperate need of You every moment of every day!