pondering our paths

Sitting next to a creek and enjoying the quiet, I was surprised to hear the rumbling of a baby stroller going over rocks and branches. The young woman had her son with her and was wondering if a nearby path was a good choice.

I told her it wasn’t. The path was overgrown with weeds and full of mosquitoes. If that wasn’t bad enough, she’d have to slog her way through lots of spider webs. The woman agreed it wasn’t a good idea, thanked me for my advice and turned back.

I think she made the right choice—she was a good parent. After all, parents are supposed to protect their children from harm, aren’t they? Of course they are.

In the same way, our heavenly Father wants to protect His children, those of us who are Christians. But there’s a problem, isn’t there? We have minds and wills of our own. Sometimes we take His advice and sometimes we don’t.

“The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.”1

Sometimes we’re “prudent,” but sometimes we’re “simple.” Sometimes we take our heavenly Father’s advice, but sometimes we don’t.

And when we venture down the wrong path, danger lurks ahead.

For instance…

• If we’re drinking too much or using illegal drugs we’re on a path, one fraught with danger.
• If we’re hanging out with the wrong crowd, there’s danger lurking down the road.
• If we’re spending too much time alone on the computer visiting questionable Web sites, we’re flirting with danger.

Let’s not be naïve. Even a casual reading of the Bible tells us there are certain paths—certain behaviors—that we need to steer clear of. And it’s not because God wants to assert His authority and make us miserable. Not at all. It’s because He’s our heavenly Father and wants to protect us, His children, from harm.

Just as a mother protects her child from weeds, mosquitoes and spiders, so God wants to protect us from the pitfalls of life.

“The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.”

So, do you want to be “prudent” or “simple?” The choice is yours.

1 Proverbs 27:12