“In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:6 ESV
A few weeks ago I took a morning run along my normal path, when I noticed a family of deer on the side of the road. Running near deer is not foreign to me – I usually run on the other side of the road as they ignore me. On this particular morning, however, Daddy deer stood his ground in the middle of the road and stared me down as Mammy deer and Baby deer ate a leisurely breakfast. I’m not afraid of deer, but not wanting to start my morning off engaging with a protective parent, I turned around and ran another way,
Fast forward 40 minutes and the same thing happened again. . . . but with turkeys. And I don’t mess with turkeys. They can fly. So, again, I changed my route.
I also changed by route another morning when I saw a snake sprawled across the road after a rain storm. I don’t do snakes. Nope, not even a little bit. I didn’t need to run in that direction.
You can’t make this stuff up.
Roadblocks
In each of these situations, I was moving. . . until I wasn’t. I didn’t stand still when I encountered a roadblock. I pivoted and changed direction. But I kept moving (mostly just to keep my heart rate from plummeting, but you get the point.)
There were recent times in my career when I attempted to make advancements and try new things, but I encountered roadblocks: Written articles were denied for publication and participation in research studies was declined. But I kept moving.
Because every roadblock I reach moves me in a better direction.
Be Still, But Not Stagnant
God tells us to be still (Psalm 46:10), but not to sit around and wait for things to happen to us. He wants us to take steps forward as we seek His will. It just might take time. And while time passes, He’s preparing us for what lies ahead.
There’s a steep double-hill on one of my running routes. I walked it a few times so that I was familiar with the terrain, but I didn’t think I could run it. One day (probably because my normal route was blockaded by animals), I decided to run one hill and walk the second. Yeah, that didn’t happen. Without knowing it, my regular strength training routines were preparing my legs to run hills, and that’s what happened. I just ran them (with no pain later, thankfully!).
We see this preparation and waiting in the book of Joshua when the Israelites marched around Jericho for six days with no successful result, but they were preparing for the victory on the seventh day (Joshua 6).
So what’s our response?
- We’ll trust: “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.” (Psalm 37:5 ESV)
- We’ll wait: “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.” (Psalm 37:7 ESV)
- But we’ll keep moving: “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.” (Psalm 37:23-24 ESV)
And as for me, I’ll keep watching out for deer and turkeys. . . and whatever other roadblocks God’s using that I don’t recognize.
What barriers are you not recognizing in your life?
“In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:6 ESV
