Proverbs 3:6 – In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. (NKJV)

My adventuresome 16-year-old brother was an avid fisherman, who, in times of flooding, hunted ducks, of which he had two in the back of Dad's 1967 Ford Bronco. He and his friend were exploring the creek that had flooded into a marshy area. They were puddle-jumping, testing areas of the flood to see just how deep the Bronco would go.

They knew the familiar land and fence line when the flood plain was dry, but the surroundings looked much different when in flood state. Driving into deeper water, they came to an abrupt stop. The drive-wheels were off the ground, and the vehicle would not budge, forward or backward. Not only were the boys stuck on something, but, adding insult to injury, they discovered that their two ducks had floated through the open window and down the creek. When the water receded, a friend from town used the winch on his truck to dislodge and pull them off what they discovered was a broken fencepost.

Like my daring brother, we have a penchant for testing the waters of safety, and we sometimes do things without thinking about the dangers or risks that we take. How many times do we explore areas that we have no business exploring? We can laugh about my brother's lighthearted example of being stuck, but we know that we can get ourselves into tight spots by using faulty judgment in any aspect of our life when we are out of God's will. Most importantly, we can get stuck in our relationship with the Lord when we don't stop, look, and listen before we act. My brother was fortunate that Dad's Bronco didn't have much damage, and he only lost his bounty — two ducks.

How comforting it is that we have our ever-present God to ask for help before we make decisions, from the least significant to the most significant. We can prevent so many aspects of our life from floating out the window and down the creek if we remember to ask for guidance, to wait on God, and then to act accordingly. Let's not explore areas that have signs of danger all over them, so that we take care not to damage relationships or jobs, and not to threaten other important aspects of life.

At one time or another, any one of us has the potential to steer ourselves in the wrong direction or to continue to make foolish decisions. Let's remember to pray and then to wait for God to help us to make choices that don't cause us to lose things dear or important to us, like my brother did.

Prayer: Dear Father, thank You for loving us enough to give us a plan for an abundant life. Thank You for sending Your Son Jesus to rescue us and then allowing the Holy Spirit to help us with our decision making. Help us to be wise. We are blessed indeed. Amen.

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About the author:

Karen Milam <karenbmilam@gmail.com>
Penn Valley, California, USA
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