Ali Ballweg

 At the last minute tonight I decided to jump in my car and go capture the beautiful sunset.  Except because it was last minute the farthest I could get was the lake and even then it was really low.  But here are two decent shots.  I’m planning on getting up early at least once this week to capture a sunrise, so keep looking back!     

“Whether you turn to the right or to the lift, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.”  -Isaiah 30:21 

            This verse automatically brings to mind the image of something we did in one of my high school Spanish classes.  We were partnered up and one partner put on a blindfold while the other directed them using our newly acquired Spanish directional vocabulary.  Of course with it being high school, many of the boys purposely ran one another into chairs and walls.  It was very chaotic with all the voices and many students got confused about whose directions they were supposed to be listening to.  Some students though guided their partner very carefully by putting a hand on their shoulder and leaning in close to make sure the directions were clear.

            Do you have the imagery?  This society that we live in is very much like small area we were giving to direct one another in, it is full of voices giving advice and opinions and is easily overwhelming and confusing.   Which voices are we supposed to listen to and which ones are just going to run us into walls? 

Well, put yourself in the blindfolded person’s shoes and envision God as the partner giving you directions in your life decisions.  What kind of a direction giver do you think God would be?  Would he be more like the people who run you into things or would he be more like a steady hand on your shoulder and whisper in your ear?  Obviously He’s the latter.  Then who is the former you ask?  It comes in a variety of forms which include but are not limited to: Satan, sinners, your own selfish desires, and even people in this world who may truly think they’re looking out for you. 

In this crazy sin-ridden world, the only voice that is going to get us through safely is that of our Savior.  Many times the people and desires I listed above become so incredibly loud that we can’t even hear His voice.  And sometimes we simply think it’s a good idea to listen to our friends, after all they are “Christian” and want what’s best for us.  But I assure you, no matter how crazy things get or how good the advice of others may sound, God will always be there; a firm hand on your shoulder and a quiet voice in your ear.  It’s up to you to focus your attention on His stable instructions instead of letting the distractions of this world run you ragged.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”  -Psalm 119:105

Even after you’re listening to Him intently it’s not going instantly clear where He wants you to go, but if you spend time in prayer and in His Word, you will know what He is telling you to do.

Now go back to my Spanish class analogy.  If you clearly heard your partner tell you to take a right, what would you do?  I know I would probably slowly turn to my right as I felt in front of me tentatively and listened to hear if he/she was going to tell me to stop.  And then only after I’d assessed that the situation was safe would I continue forward.  I think most of you can agree that you wouldn’t take a sharp left and start walking quickly ahead.  After all, it’s not a race.

And neither is life.  It’s important that in no matter what we hear God telling us, we go into it slowly instead of just jumping in with both feet.  Yes it’s important to trust God, but if we listen to His words and then take them and run full speed ahead, we’re going to end up in big trouble; because now we’ve suddenly lost our guide and don’t know where to go from there.  It can be easy to get excited about the things we hear God telling us to do, but like any good thing, it takes time.  When we need consult Him every step of the way, not just when we have major decisions in our life, we will find a path that brings joy to us every step of the way.

“You will show me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”  -Psalm 16:11

So the moral of the story?  Listen to God’s quiet whisper in your ear at all times and you will make it through your walk of life not only in one piece, but also completely joyful.

 My cousin Amber got a puppy for her 17th birthday and I took lots of pictures of it at her family party.  Oh and she was completely passed out for quite some time, you could move her in an position and she’d just stay there with a smile on her cute little face.  What a cutie!