It never ceases to amaze me how Don and I end up taking unexpected “detours” during our travels. Even on our simplest journeys, we invariably find ourselves on a wrong road at some point. I won’t name the driver, but it’s not usually me if that helps you narrow it down :) I better not criticize too heavily, though, because you know who relies on me to provide directions. Some people have an uncanny sense of direction while others have no sense of direction at all. Don just happens to fall into the latter category.

This past weekend we made a trip over to visit Kristin and Shawn. They are just a 2 1/2 hour drive from us, but we still managed to have a foul-up on our way there. In our defense, I could point out that this is only the 4th time we’ve made the trip since they got married, but that sounds pretty pathetic. To be honest, we simply missed our exit off the interstate — even though it is plainly marked with a huge sign. How, you might ask, could we make such an error? Well, I made the mistake of looking at a magazine instead of watching Don like a hawk, and he made the mistake of chatting with me. A few miles down the road and some “good griefs” later, we righted the wrong and continued on our way. Chalk that one up to “distraction” (aka not paying attention).

Now on the way home, it was a different story. Hold on — I didn’t say better, just different. That pesky interstate. This time Don jumped the gun. Instead of waiting for the sign that marked the interstate, he saw a sign that mentioned the city next to the interstate and off he veered. And me? What was I doing? I just watched it happen. I would like to blame it on post-nap stupor, but I had been awake for several minutes at that point. I did, however, realize the mistake as soon as it was made. After a few more “good griefs” and a quick turn-around, Don spotted the interstate sign and made a beeline for it. Chalk that one up to “confusion” (aka brain fog).

As you can see, a variety of things can factor in to our unexpected detours. Like the ones just described, some can be blamed on being distracted and not reading the signs while others can be blamed on reading the signs but making a choice that turns out to be wrong. Of course, there are also the times we see the signs too late and drive right past the roads we should have taken. Let me just point out that these are never pleasant experiences.

Our weekend adventures of watching (or not watching) road signs made me think of how we travel through life. God has placed many signs along the way to point us to the roads we should travel, but many times we are too distracted to pay attention to His directions. Sometimes we are just going too fast and don’t see His signs until it’s too late. Other times, for whatever reason, we simply choose to make a wrong turn. These mistakes lead to unpleasant experiences, too.

God wants the best for us. Let’s be wise and pay attention to His signs and directions. They can be found all around us, but a couple of good places to start looking are in the Bible and in the wise counsel of those who have, at some point, traveled the road before us. Take a moment to reread this week’s Words To Live By and then “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV)