By Marlene Tavares
Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
(1 Kings 19:11-12 NKJV)
Picture this: you get into your car in the morning and start the engine as you pull out of your driveway and make your way to work. It is an ordinary day, nothing is different just the usual daily commute. About 10 to 15 minutes into your trip you suddenly get a thought out of the blue. That little familiar voice inside your head gently whispers that today you should take a different route, a detour. You take a minute to consider it and wonder whether it’s worth taking a chance on your scheduled commute, or just brush it off as a silly thought and continue on your way.
There are two types of people in this case: Person A tends to be intuitive and listens often to that little voice and obeys it. Person B is more hesitant and does not care for change, so tends to ignore it and take their chances as they go about life in their own way. Which type of person are you? What would you do? If you are person A, who listens to that voice and takes the detour, you will get to your destination regardless. It could have even taken you a little longer but either way you would get there. If you are person B and ignore the voice, imagine now that you have reached a road block. Perhaps there has been a bad accident and the road had to be closed off for investigation. Officers are directing drivers to go either right or left but the traffic is now so congested that you watch your precious time tick away and soon you will be late for work. Now do you wish you listened to the little voice? Would have saved you some time and grief, right?
Sometimes in life we need to be able to take detours. We need to be open minded to the fact that things do not always go our way, that our plans may change due to unforeseen events, and that sometimes these detours cause a little bit more grief and time than what we originally wanted but in the end, it actually helped us dodge a bigger bullet. We need to learn to tune in to that little voice in our head and trust that God is speaking to us and helping to direct us in a better direction. We may be afraid and not see it as we go along, but He knows what is ahead and He has a map with better directions and safer routes. Sometimes we tend to ignore the message because we are afraid of change or because it is telling us something we do not want to hear, or we may not be tuned in as much as we should be so when we face bumpy roads we get so easily angry and frustrated not realizing that sometimes we bring it upon ourselves. The more we learn to listen to that little voice and trust it, the better our outcomes in certain situations will be. If something feels right, go for it. If something about a person, place, or thing feels off or you are not at ease with or around it, then leave it. We have these instincts for a reason and being able to follow them is a defense mechanism God has instilled in us to help steer us in the right direction. If you tune in to what He has to say, then you can be sure that you are on track to where you need to be.
Tune in to God’s message for you and take better control of your life.
Rising with the Son 