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The Way

by Mary Turbet

Highways, Roads, Tracks, Paths, and Directions.

When I was very young, there was no need for me to have a good sense of direction.

I thought my Dad was wonderful. He knew how to get to all these different places and he never seemed to get lost. I knew the road into Moss Vale, the closed town and even to Burradoo where my Grandma lived - but how did Dad find his way to that far off place called Goulburn. I didn't have to worry because where we went, I was taken and so my sense of direction was never developed.

When I was in my early 20's, I went on a working holiday. My friends and I would go away at weekends and often the question would arise, "Which direction do we take to get to wherever..." One would say this way, another that way. Then they would I ask me and I would say, "that way" so we would go in the opposite direction and invariably end up at the right place. So when I was thrown out into the cold hard world all by myself and had to find my own way, I had a lot to learn.

In Psalm 95, the psalmist tells us that God said. "They are a people whose hearts go astray because they have not known my ways."

In Life there are right ways, there are wrong ways, there are cross roads, there are people who give good directions and there are those who don't. Like the Irishman who stated that "if I were going to London, I wouldn't start from here." There are highway, roads, tracks, paths and they all lead somewhere. Highways usually get you there quicker but very often roads are more scenic. As I go through life, I try to remember that while the destination is the most important, the journey should also be enjoyed. It is good to know where you want to go and to check out the best Way to go, but sometimes it is good to follow a track to find out where it will lead you. If it leads to a beautiful scene, you will want to spend more time there and go there again, even stay there, but it could be otherwise and if you realise that you are heading in the wrong direction. Then it is a good idea to turn around and get back onto the right road. Remember God always allows a U-turn.

Then the crossroads: Where shall I go from here? Well I suppose you could always toss a corn but I doubt that that ever solves anything. If you go straight ahead and carry on with life as always, you may miss out on something really worth while. If you go to the left it may not be is rewarding as if you go to the right. It could be that it would make little difference which one you take. They might all end up at the same place. One might be quicker, one more scenic, another slow but sure, another arid, and so on. And so this is where you take your problems to your Heavenly Father. You may have to wait awhile for His answer, but He will answer.

There are so many wrong ways we can take in this life and just about always they seem to be the easiest paths to follow. How easy it is to drift - to say my friends are going to the disco, or the pub so why shouldn't I? Maybe the first time would be O.K. but next time it could be quite a different story. If you go to such places, you need to be very strong. I know of three young men who travelled together a lot. After travelling all day, they would stop at a hotel for the night. Two would always have an alcoholic drink with their meal, but the third never strayed from his orange juice. He was a Christian Scientist and the others looked up to him because he kept to his beliefs. I feel that he needed to be very strong for I am sure pressure would have been put on him.

In Luke 1:76 we are told that Zechariah filled with the Holy Spirit prophesied that "You my child (i.e. John the Baptist) will be called a prophet of the Most High for you will go on before the Lord to prepare a way for Him". And that is precisely what John the Baptist did. He prepared the way for Jesus. He had no question of where his place was in the scheme of thins. He always said that the one who was to follow him "would be more powerful than me"

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. He offers us a way to Eternal life. He does not say that this way will be an easy one and in fact we may find it a much harder one, but we do know that ultimately it will be the way that will be really worthwhile.

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