Kenneth Samuel: Thinking about Direction

"I pondered the direction of my life, and I turned to follow your laws." - Psalm 119:59 

I've missed exits, missed streets and even practically missed appointments by not paying attention to the route as I was driving. Even with the GPS activated and the nice voice giving me directions, I've ended up on the wrong roads, because at points I thought were familiar, I decided to disregard the GPS and go my own way.

When I stop being distracted enough to really think about where I'm going and the direction I'm travelling, I do much better. Life is more than a journey. Life is a journey in the right direction.

Sometimes it takes detour signs and road blockages to get us to consider a different route. But I've discovered that you can travel the wrong road for a long, long time without even realizing that you are travelling farther and farther away from your desired destination. This is why living and moving without thinking and reflecting is so counter-productive.

The Psalmist didn't have to run off a cliff or face a negative impasse in order to recognize the need to make a critical turn in life. The GPS of the Psalmist's own conscientiousness urged: "Go a better way! Live a better life!" The turns in life that we willingly make out of conscientious self reflection are more valuable than the turns we are forced to make out of desperation.

Socrates said that "the unexamined life is not worth living." I'm no Socrates, but I'd like to add that life unexamined is frustratingly wasteful as well. I've got the experiences of wasted time, wasted resources, wasted energy and wasted opportunities to prove it. 

Prayer  

Dear Lord, Help us today, to not be in such a rush to move that we fail to consider whether we're moving in the right direction. Give us the insight and the humility to make the right turns. Amen.

From the UCC StillSpeaking Devotionals. Visit UCC.org