At church the other day, the pastor preached a good message about the pathways we choose. Every decision we make leads us down one path or another – either for the good, or towards destruction. His message reminded me that even the thoughts we think can start us on that journey or pathway. If we allow ourselves to start thinking discouraging thoughts, we will soon find ourselves overwhelmed, etc. With having recently moved and started a new job, I have found myself on that “overwhelming” pathway quite often lately!
My guess is that the majority of negative behaviors don’t just happen out of the blue, but first begin in the mind.
The pastor shared the story of King Solomon as he watched a young man headed down the street towards the house of a woman. As the King watched from the view of his castle, he knew the man was headed towards a dangerous situation. The woman’s husband was out of town and the woman was on the prowl, and yet, the young man made the choice to head down that road. From his viewpoint, King Solomon knew that no good could come from this. However, the young man was not seeing the whole picture or considering the consequences.
The pastor’s point was that so often, we live for the moment. We can’t see past today or at times, even the hour. While the things we struggle with may not lead us down the same road as that young man, there is still a path that we are choosing to walk down with each choice we make.
In the past, the Lord has revealed to me that the first step in choosing the right path is to realize there are choices.
Perhaps you often find yourself overcome with worry… Each time someone is late getting home, or a child is sick, you begin to stress and worry. Our minds take us down all kinds of crazy paths/situations. Before we know it, we end up in a ditch thinking the worst case scenario.
The first step to avoid that head on collision is to learn to see the fork in the road. We have a choice. We can take the well-worn road that leads to the ditch, or we can choose another path. As we make the choice to pursue that new path, the old one becomes less familiar and is easier to avoid.
I was reading a book for work that talked about paradigms (“A belief about what the world is like; a model of reality”). Our paradigm, or belief, can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. In essence, what we believe, we make real. This is similar to the path that we head down, it will eventually become the destination (or outcome) of those choices.
Keeping God and our relationship with Jesus first and foremost is essential in staying on the right path. It also helps to pursue healthy relationships with friends and family who love Jesus and will encourage us, pray with us and walk in accountability with us. Don’t just go to church, be a part of the body of Christ. We need one another.
I am so thankful for the friends and family that are walking this journey with me. Even though we may not see each other every day, I know there are people praying for me and I am praying for them.