Driving When It's Dark

The story is told about an adult son who called his parents to wish them a happy New Year, and his dad answered the phone.  He asked his father, “Well, Dad, what’s your New Year’s resolution?”  Dad answered, “To make your mother as happy as I can all year.”
 
When his mom got on the phone, the son asked her, “What’s your resolution for the New Year, Mom?”  She answered, “To see that your dad keeps his New Year’s resolution.”
 
Sometimes we make choices and we do not really understand or recognize the consequences.  We do not comprehend where those decisions and goals will lead us.  Sometimes that makes us anxious, causing a person to simply not set any goals or course for his or her life.  And that is too bad when we live in an unintentional way because we’re afraid of where it might end up, or we don’t know exactly how we’re going to get there.  The goal seems too big and out of reach, so we don’t set one.
 
I am discovering, however, that God usually doesn’t show us every little detail ahead of time regarding where He is taking us.  He asks us to do our best by thinking ahead and living intentionally with a perspective based on the truths of His Word.  And then He asks us to trust Him.
 
It’s like driving a car at night.  The other night as I drove the highway from Owosso to St. Johns after visiting my grandmother, I was concerned about hitting a deer that might venture into the roadway.  But it didn’t prevent me from moving forward.  My headlights never shine all the way to my destination; they illuminate only about 160 feet in front of me.  I focus on what’s in front as the headlights shine upon the way I need to go.  And I realized that all I really needed was enough light to keep moving forward.
 
As we enter the New Year we must keep in mind that the Bible’s message is like headlights in darkness.  Its promises and principles keep us from driving our lives into the ditch of bitterness, despair, and danger.  God’s Word promises that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).  His Word assures us that He knows the plans He has for us, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give us “a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).  And His Word tells us that all things—whether easy or hard—can work for good in the end (Romans 8:28).
 
As you venture into 2015 maybe you feel uncertain, and the pathway seems dark.  But remember to trust your headlights—the promises and principles of the Bible’s message.  The Psalmist wrote, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105).  Keep moving forward with the light of God’s Word showing you the way.  You may even discover some principles for keeping your spouse happy!
 
Working together to win together in the New Year,
Tyler