You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.   Ephesians 4:22-24

While on vacation this summer, amidst our very busy itinerary, there was one morning when I was able to take some time to myself and recharge. As I sat on the balcony of our hotel, sipping coffee, reading my Bible and looking out at the mountains of Wyoming, peace settled in.

Then I looked right and saw a dead bee trapped in the screen of our hotel window. 

It seems he’d flown toward what felt like freedom, with the mountain breeze blowing through the screen. But he’d been so focused on what he thought was the only way out, he completely missed the door that was just five feet to the left: the real entrance to freedom.

That bee isn’t the only one who takes this approach. We too can get so focused on thinking we’ve found our way, our path toward what we want, that we fixate too much on what’s on the other side, completely missing the fact that we’re on the wrong path to get there: the barriers are too great, they can’t be overcome.

Rather than flapping our wings endlessly, thinking we can break through if we just try harder, only to end up exhausted and done in, we need to back up, pause, and look at the bigger picture. That’s when we can let God lead us to our new path. He’ll always take us to the one that actually does get us to where we need to go.

Questions for Reflection:

     * Have I been coming across obstacles in my journey toward what I want?

     * If so, can I back up, pause, and ask God to show me a new path that will get me there?