A little over a year ago the city I work in put in a new road that led to the company I work for. I remember when it was complete I now had a place that I always made a left to go to work, and now I had two choices. I could go straight now, onto the new road, or I could still turn left and go the way I had been going for 16 years now. For the longest time I continued to turn left at that intersection and went the way to work that I had been going for so long. There was nothing wrong with going that way. In fact it was a way I knew was safe and would get me where I was going every single time, no questions asked. But I remember one day after the new road had been in place for a few weeks that I thought "I'm going to check out this new road and see what it's like". The road goes through what will eventually be a neighborhood someday, so there really isn't anything on either side of it. I remember the first day I took it because for the first time in 16 years I drove up to the building I work at from a different direction, and it just seemed so strange. Even just to see my building from that side after all this time seemed just weird. However, over the past year this has become my normal route to work, and even though that stretch of the road is probably less than a mile long, it is the most peaceful part of my drive. It is very quite. The road is brand new so it is such a smooth drive. And there is never any traffic. It's just a very peaceful end to my 30 minute commute to work.
You may be reading this and saying "ok, we get it. You drive a different way to work. Where are you going with this?" But I do have a point to all of this. See it wasn't until I was willing to go a different route, to take a different path, to try another way, that I realized there was a better way. And even after a year now of driving this "new way", it wasn't until today that God showed me something about this drive. It's peaceful and probably my favorite part of the drive. Had I never gave it a try I would have never known that. It wasn't like the other way was causing me problems, but that didn't mean there still wasn't a better way out there. See today my "new road" represents a new path just like God wants to take us down. He always has a better way for us, but sometimes we have to step out of what we are used to and try it out. We make choices every single day that determine that path tomorrow will take. And just because something feels "safe" or is what we are used to, doesn't mean that it's the best thing for us. I challenged myself to just go straight that one day instead of turning left. That might sound small and silly, but I broke myself out of the norm. And I discovered that after 16 years of making the same drive, there is a newness to it that I now really enjoy. I found a new peace that I would have never known about unless I went down the new path. God has a peace waiting for each one of us when we go the way He directs us to go. However, sometimes because there isn't really anything wrong with the path we are on now, we don't even think to ask Him or look for a better way.
Today, allow God to challenge you to look at your life and the paths you have taken. Ask Him to show you if the one you are on right now is just comfortable, or if it is really where He wants you. Like me, you may be going right past the better way every single day and not even realizing it. Maybe it's an opportunity He is trying to show you. Maybe it's a new ministry He wants to involve you in even though there is nothing wrong with the one you are in now. Maybe the path you're on does have issues but you have become to blind to see them, and staying where you are just feels safe. I'm not sure what God has in store for you, but I am sure He has more. He always has more! Psalms 16:11 says "You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore". God puts us on a path when we accept Jesus into our heart, but that doesn't mean He doesn't have other paths for us as we mature and grow as a Christian. He is all about challenging us and pushing us to go further and deeper with Him. And the number one way to get there is trust. So ask yourself if you are trusting Him, or just the same old ways that are familiar to you?
Here are few more verses on God's path if you'd like to reference them. Psalms 119:105, Matthew 7:13, Proverbs 3:6, Hebrews 10:26 and Proverbs 3:5.
God, Thank You that you set us on a straight path...and then you challenge us along that path. That You always have better ways for us. You don't just set us on the right path and then walk away, but you lead us and ask us to trust You and follow You. With each twist and turn that comes, we know you are there with us. Thank You for that. Help us to hear Your voice today Lord as we ask the Holy Spirit to show us the "better" way that You have for us. And as Christ followers, please help us to always demonstrate a better way for others too. In Jesus name, Amen
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