The Right Path or String Dancing?

I stepped out of the bathroom this morning and to my surprise saw a tiny string going in both directions: into Larry's study and around the corner into the kitchen. (To be honest, with four cats, nothing really comes as a surprise! =^..^=)

I followed the string into the kitchen and had to laugh. There was a maze of string under the table and around the chair legs...a spider would have been proud! The "string dance" (not to be confused with String Theory!)appears to have originated in the living room. It then proceeded into the kitchen with much flourish under and around the table (I do not recall dancing having occurred there before - my cooking must be lacking! Ha!Ha!). The dance continued across the kitchen, around the corner, down the hall and concluded in the study. Our little Isabel turned one this week and I suspect the little stinker helped herself to a small ball of floss I had sitting on my needlework table. It was the purrfect size for a kitty or kitties as I'm sure her brothers joined in! Let the dance begin!

This reminded me of how we so often take what we think is the right path only to discover down the road a piece that it was not. The kitties eventually ran out of string and were left with a mess. The dance was over.

Do we remember to seek God before heading down a path? Or do we think He will support our decision, no matter what it is? (Arrogant, yes, but let's be honest, we've all done it.)

A friend recently shared the challenge of caring for her elderly mother. The daily grind of sharing a home and tending to her mother's needs was taking a toll on her. She had lost her joy along the way. One day, as she was crying out to God, she heard His still, small voice inquiring, "Did you ask me what I wanted?" Gulp! She had to admit she hadn't asked Him. Yes, her mother's care was important but perhaps it was not for her to do. She is now seeking His will in regards to her mother and she has far greater peace. Her joy is coming back, too. Hallelujah!

Only God knows what His plans and purposes are for each of our lives. Only He knows the timing. Only He knows what is the right path we should follow. Wisdom would be to ask Him and follow His lead, right?

I have to admit I've spent too much of my life following what looked like the right path to me only to discover it brought heartache or discouragement or confusion or, worse yet, distance from God. Just like my kitties, I can get excited about what something looks like and follow it. If I were to look at all the wrong paths I have taken, it would look a lot like that maze of string our kitties created as they chased that little ball of floss. I've done my share of string dancing!

I am so grateful for God's grace. He can take our messes and use them to His glory. I have to remember it is not about my past, it's about today and all the days that follow. I choose Him! I choose to seek His face. I choose to seek His wisdom. I choose to ask Him before I head down a path. I choose to use the discernment He has placed within me through His Holy Spirit. Yes, there will be dancing minus the string to tangle me up!

There is clarity is simplicity. We humans try to make things so hard - and we accomplish it quite successfully! It really is quite simple. "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20 ESV

It's not my life! It's His! Pretty simple when you look at it like that, huh? Simple but not necessarily easy. You see, I choose to die to my flesh,"to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness." Acts 4:22-24 ESV

"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Philippians 1:21 ESV Dying to self is not a one-time thing. It is daily or hourly or even minute-by-minute. I pray I recognize those times when I am living through my flesh and not my spirit (where the Holy Spirit resides). In the recognition, change can and will occur by God's grace. No more string dancing for me.

Thank you, Lord! With Your guidance, Your wisdom, Your revelation, Your knowledge, Your strength, and Your perseverance, I can run the race set before me. You know the right path....