God uses hairpin turns like this as a natural part of our Christian growth and maturity.
In my early years as a believer in Christ, I imagined myself walking with God down a straight path.
Then we would continue walking down that path, going forward in the same direction all the time. I would always be comfortable and safe in our relationship as we walked down the road together.
Now I can see that I had decided how I wanted things to go. I pretty much expected God to follow my lead. My plans were made, and I thought they were the same as God’s. But I never asked Him to show me His plans.
When I look back now, I can see that my thoughts and actions were about me and what I wanted. I gave very little thought to asking God what HE wanted me to do for Him.
And as long as I was in control, I would never choose to walk a hard path or place myself in the middle of a conflict.
We humans basically want growth to happen without having to go through hard things.
I never thought that I was trying to make things happen in my own power. I just thought I was working hard for God. But I didn’t have a close enough relationship with Him to know how He works.
The road above makes hairpin turns and seems to do a lot of backtracking. This is the way I have felt many times in my Christian walk since those early days.
Since I have made the commitment to allow God to direct my life, it has felt much more like the picture above.
Several times I felt as if I was backtracking over things I already knew, and felt like I was ready to forge ahead. Obviously, God knew I wasn’t ready yet, and needed to backtrack around another sharp curve.
Now I can usually see why God uses hairpin turns to guide me on the path He desires. I can also see why I wasn’t ready to forge ahead when “I” thought I was ready.
Over the years, I have realized that the more I see who God is, the easier it is to place my life in His hands. Then He can lead and guide in the way He chooses.
The clearer you see God, the easier it is to follow Him without wondering if He loves you or only wants the best for you.
The more you choose God over self, the more He will start to reveal Himself to you in a mighty way. Your spiritual eyes will see so clearly that to go back to your old way of life will be boring and mundane.
The God who created the universe desires to have a personal relationship with you and use you to do mighty things for Him. What an awesome thing that is!
I can promise that if you choose the path of God first, your life will never be boring or mundane. You will know that you have a purpose. What you do will make a difference in the lives of those around you.
