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Just
one turn will send you off
into direction you don't want
By the Rev. Billy Beard
Senior pastor
First United Methodist Church, Dacula
(Editor's Note: this first appeared in the church
bulletin of the First United Methodist Church of Dacula .--eeb)
MAY 10, 2002 -- The other day I was going to a business in Gainesville
to return some stuff. Having never been to Gainesville, I decided
to use one of those internet mapping pages to help me find the place.
I had used those before and they had been pretty reliable. So, I
logged on, typed in the addresses, printed out the results, hopped
in my car and took off.
All was going well. I got to Gainesville just fine. In fact, I
got to the general vicinity of the business just fine. However,
the computer had put one wrong turn in my directions and soon I
found myself in an area that just didn't seem right (guys have an
'intuitive' sense about directions.) So I pulled into a Home Depot
parking lot and rechecked my computer directions. Yep, I'd followed
the directions right. It had to be somewhere close by. So I did
like most full-blooded men would do-----I began to drive around
and look for it.
Well, 15 minutes later I finally gave in, and called the place
and asked for directions. Of course, by then it took us ten minutes
on the phone just to figure out where I was calling from, and then
another five minutes to direct me from there to the business.
All because I relied on directions from what I assumed to be a
trustworthy source. In all honesty, the internet mapping place got
all the directions right---except for one turn. But that one turn
was the difference in arriving where I wanted to be and getting
lost and having to swallow my pride and ask for directions. One
small turn!
Life is that way, sometimes, isn't it? If we could make the right
decisions all the time, life would be much easier. And just like
my fiasco with the internet mapping page, one small wrong decision
can lead to much greater heartache (or headache, or both).
Making wise decisions is something all of us strive to do. How
can we make our decisions better? Let me offer a couple of thoughts:
First, surround yourself with wise people. Let them help
you. Ask questions, get their opinions----let their wisdom rub off
on you.
Second, learn where to look when you have questions. I
realize that in the internet age, we have more information available
than we could ever process. But, is that information reliable? In
my case, the directions weren't entirely accurate. In most cases,
you need to have numerous options for the information.
Finally, realize that mistakes are okay. All of us have made
mistakes and we all will continue to make mistakes. How we react
to those mistakes is what makes the difference.
At our church, we're trying to see how God's Word can be applied
in practical, life-changing ways. We're looking at the principles
laid out in the Bible and applying them to our daily lives. No,
we're not perfect here (especially when the Senior Pastor is lost
in Gainesville!), but we're learning from our mistakes, giving and
accepting forgiveness, and trying to live our lives in a God-honoring
manner.
In a big picture sort of way, isn't that what life is all about?
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Number
2.09, May107, 2002
