I thought I knew where I was going and how to get there!

I told my mother I'd be just fine. I'd been there with her half a dozen times. I had permanently etched the route in my brain, right? "Okay," she said, "just make sure you don't miss the left turn into the parking lot—it's easy to do."

Where was I half an hour later? That's right—lost!

Don't worry; my vehicle was stocked with a good map of Cincinnati. Once I determined that I should have turned before my road came to a dead end, I dug out that much-needed map to get me back on the right track.

To turn around…or not to turn around

Getting lost is a funny thing; people don't do it intentionally. I certainly didn't. If I had realized I would have a hard time recognizing my turn, I would have consulted the map before I'd gone those miles too far.

But consider this; the same principle applies to life. Even if they don't realize it, many people in this world are spiritually lost (Matthew 7:13).

An atlas for life

How do we discern when we are going astray on the path of life? How do we know to turn around before we reach an undesirable or dangerous destination?

There is a road map for life. It was written by the God who knows life's highways and byways more intimately than we could ever hope to. That road map is the Bible! God's "word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105).

A lamp gives us the ability to see the right direction to go. This incredible resource soundly guides us in every aspect of life. It can help us find personal fulfillment, develop happy families, have stronger relationships with friends and live in a way pleasing to our Creator. The point is that we have to give up our own selfish will and allow God to guide us through His Word!

You may know someone who is too stubborn or too independent to ask for directions. You may even be that person. Similarly, on the road of life we are too often unwilling to ask for help until we have run out of options; until we have reached the dead end of life! But how much heartache would we have saved by asking for directions before we started down the path to dissatisfaction?

God created life and knows how to make our lives work to produce true and lasting fulfillment. Do you want to be happy, live abundantly and have success in your life? Then doesn't it make sense to read His manual for success before we attempt to go it alone and get lost?

I didn't end up in a dangerous area, but I could have. Consulting the "map" is considerably more important when your possible destinations span life and death themselves (Deuteronomy 30:19).

Take the time to become familiar with the Bible; the free booklet How to Understand the Bible can help.

God's Word is your priceless guide to the streets of life you travel every day and those you may just be venturing down. The result will be to live a fulfilling, abundant life today and to enjoy an even greater level of abundance as a member of God's family in the world tomorrow! VT