Breaking the Cycle

Several years ago, Kathy and I were driving through the town we lived in on our way to work.

There had been storms in the area and many roads were closed off because of high water levels.

As we continued down our familiar route to our jobs, road after road was blocked off with high water. On several occasions I had to reverse out of a street after we found out it was blocked off.

After about three times of turning down roads that were impassible, we approached another street. Without even looking, I turned our car down the next street, once again to find it was closed off with high water.

We had no more than turned the corner when Kathy asked me a simple yet profound question: "Don't you look before you turn?"

I guess the other turns onto blocked streets had led her to believe this may be a pattern that needed to be addressed. We both laughed. And still today we will ask that questions in jest when faced with a similar situation.

So many people today find themselves facing obstacles they did not expect. It seems like every turn they take leads them to yet another dead end. It is not their intention to end up in these places, it just seems like "that's the way it is" for them.

It's funny, but almost every time I come to a turn that I am not familiar with I hear those words ringing in my ears and think, "have you looked yet?"

It's a simple yet practical habit to form in our lives. Looking before we turn. Looking before we leap. Thinking before we speak. You get the idea.

So often, roadblocks and inconveniences, frustrations and delays could be avoided if we would just take the time to look before we turn. If we would take the time to consider, "is this the right choice?", "is this the right response?", "Is this the way I am supposed to go?"

I'm not talking about second-guessing ourselves as much as I am saying maybe we should "first think" ourselves. Doing that may eliminate some second guessing, and some backing up, in our lives.

Breaking away from those old habits of talking before you think, or going before you consider, may take some work, but in the end they may be exactly what we need to help us get where we are going much quicker and with much less frustration.

Come on, let's recognize the need for healthy choices in our lives, commit our ways to God and break the cycle! Success is just around the right corner!