In his book The Principle of the Path, author and pastor Andy Stanley talks about how to choose the path that will take us from where we are to where we want to be. His oft-repeated tag line is Direction -- not intention -- determines our destination. In this book, Stanley tells the story of the wisest man that ever lived, King Solomon, son of David, and what brought about his downfall and that of the kingdom of Israel. Stanley asks the thought-provoking question,
"If the wisdom, understanding, and insight of a man like Solomon does not insure against choosing the wrong path, isn't it foolish for us to lean on our limited insight and understanding?" Translation: If the wisest man ever could not make it relying on himself, what makes us think that we can?
Too often I find myself tired of where I am in life. Tired of the decisions that I made in the past haunting me today. So many regrets, so much neglect, so much selfishness. These decisions I made on my own. Translation: I have nobody to blame but myself. I thought that I could figure everything out solely by my own system, by my own thoughts and ideas, by my own efforts. As my present world burns around me, I realize how true Stanley's quote above really is. So foolish. Sure, I received casual advice from friends along the way, but I knew best. Out of my way. I know what I am doing. So foolish. The trouble signs sprung up along the way, but I dismissed them with ease. So foolish.
Now I struggle to put out the fires and rebuild. Hopefully I will heed the lessons from the painful experiences that I have walked through. Hopefully next time, at the next fork in the road, I will not rely on myself alone.
