Road Signs Pt. 1

ROAD SIGNS

You can’t get to the south beach by driving north, and you can’t get to the top of the mountain if you are walking down it. In the Road Signs series, we will examine the book of Proverbs for wisdom to help each of us navigate the choices life brings because our choices determine the direction of our lives. And it’s our direction, not our intention, that ultimately determines our destination. Where are you heading?

Week One (February 4)

You can’t get to the south beach by driving north, and you can’t get to the top of the mountain if you are walking down it. Why? It’s because our direction always determines our destination. While we all know this basic rule for navigating the roads we drive, we sometimes forget how the same rule is true in our lives. You can’t lose weight by shoving down quarter pounders and watching five hours of TV. You can’t have deep relationships by ignoring the living, breathing people around you. You can’t grow closer to God by shutting Him out of your everyday life or failing to make the effort to know more about Him. So what is the destination you desire for your life? Are you even on the right path to get there?

Week Two (February 11)

When we’re behind the wheel, most of us stop if we see a street sign that says “danger” or “dead end.” We put ourselves on alert if we see a “caution” sign. But when it comes to our daily lives and the choices we face, sometimes we ignore the warning signs completely. We trudge right through the “don’t say that” sign and deeply cut someone close to us with a wounding remark. We plow right through the “don’t date that girl” sign because we believe that having someone who’s not great for us is better than not having someone at all. The Bible warns us that when we see danger to take action, because when we don’t, things can get really ugly.

Week Three (February 25)

Everyone makes stupid choices—even smart people. Why? Because we’ve all had moments when we know the right thing to do, we have the right information, and we ignore it. We know we should order the fruit cup, but we order the mega-size fries. We know we should not spend all our money on that one shirt, but we do it anyway. We know we should avoid that one relationship, but we just keep coming back because it’s comfortable. So there has to be something more to it than just knowing the right thing to do. It’s not just about knowing the right choice, it’s about actually taking that first step. It’s the difference between knowing the right choice and trusting that the choice will lead you to a better path. It’s the difference between information and submission.

Week Four (March 4)

Have you ever been walking down the street, deep in thought, but oblivious to what was going on around you—that is until you snapped out of it and realized that you passed your destination two blocks ago? Your attention was elsewhere. Your mind wasn't focused on what you were doing. The reality is this: what you give your attention to determines your direction. When something captures your attention, it will alter your direction and eventually lead you to a predictable destination—for better or worse. This week, we will wrap up the series by helping your child take a look at the things that capture his or her attention. We will challenge them to be intentional about paying attention to the things that will ultimately lead them in the direction they want to go.