A Flip Flop Fail
I can be kind of ridiculous sometimes.
It’s like I watch myself making stubborn decisions, but there I go making them anyway.
A perfect example happened last week while my hubby and I were at the beach to celebrate 27 years of marriage. {Gulp!} There’d been heavy rains the day before, and the parking area had spots of flooding. He, carrying our heavy beach chairs, suggested we go across the main drive and then make our way to the beach access.
But, NO! I had a better way. I was sure of it.
So, off I go, lugging our bag and beach towels, on what appeared at first to be a much simpler route. My flip flops were just a-flappin’.
Until it I realized I’d made my way into a muddy, gummy mess of sand that edged a huge puddle of flood waters.
There was no way forward. So, I turned, retraced my steps, and made my way around to where my husband was waiting with a bemused look on his face at the end of the path he’d suggested.
“I know. I know,” I assured him. “I’ve been telling myself, ‘Listen to your husband!’” You’d think after 27 years I’d know he’s usually right about those kinds of things.
Thankfully the 27 years have taught us to laugh at ourselves (okay — myself, in this case) rather than fight, but I’ve been reflecting on how easy it is to do the same kind of thing in my spiritual walk! I act out of my stubbornness, completely convinced my way will work out just fine.
Until it doesn’t.
But the spiritual consequences are much more severe than winding up in some muddy sand and a puddle of water.
Proverbs 14:12 warns us, “There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way to death.” (CSB) The CEV is even clearer: “You may think you are on the right road and still end up dead.”
{{Double Gulp}}
So, how do we avoid making this mistake?
The answer is in one of the earliest passages of scripture I memorized: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6, CSB)
Again, let’s look at the CEV translation: “With all your heart you must trust the Lord and not your own judgment. Always let Him lead you, and He will clear the road for you to follow.”
Trust God and let Him lead. Trade in those stubborn tendencies that land us in messy situations and receive a clear road to follow instead!
And the beautiful part is, when we confess our willful stubbornness as sin, Jesus “can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away.” (1 John 1:9, CEV)
Ever caught yourself being too stubborn for your own good? Either with God or in your human relationships? Comment below to share how you’ve learned to make better choices.
