The principle of the path

The principle of the path did not originate with me although I wish that it did. I have been affected by this principle many many years before I ever knew of its existence . If you are like me or if you are a member of the human race, you probably have been affected by it as well and all of us have, one way or another. Now, you may be asking, what is the principle of the path?

Before I answer this question, let me give credit where credit is due. One of my hobbies is to listen to sermons and I listen to tones of sermons every week. I learned about the principle of the path a couple of years ago from Andy Stanley, the senior pastor of North Point church in Alpharetta, GA. Andy defines the principle of the path as follows: "The principle of the path is direction not intention determines our destination." All of us have the burning desire to succeed in every area of life, but more often than not the path that we take will not lead us to the destination we so rightfully long for. For example, I live in Tampa, Florida and for me to go to Miami from Tampa, I must travel South. You might say, I already knew that, now get to the point. I am so glad you said that because I will get to point. Just bear with me for just a moment! And you can trust me on this, I will not violate the principle of the path on this blog post.

First, let us see how the principle of the path might apply to other areas of our lives. As I said before whether we knew what the principle of the path was or not, we have all been affected by it, either positively or negatively. Where you are right now in almost every area of your life has almost everything to do with the choices you have made along the journey of life, with a few exceptions that we won't have time to dive into. Now let us revisit the Tampa to Miami example again. If Miami is where I need to go, then to arrive there from Tampa, I must head South. Conversely, If I head North, no matter how much I pray on my way there or how much Bible verses I memorize along the way or how many self help books I read, I will never get to Miami unless I change my direction. It is my direction that determines my destination not my intention.

We all know what we would like our destination to be: a happy marriage, financial stability, a healthy lifestyle, a rewarding career, etc. But, in all of these areas our path must align itself with our goals. If not, we are very likely to miss our destination. Sometimes, arriving at our destination will require that we make some tough decisions. There are changes and adjustments we would need to make in order to get there. But, nobody else can make those choices for you. Many have us have the tendency to find somebody or something to blame for our current situation. We blame the economy, the system, our parents, our upbringing and the list goes on... I am sorry, but the blame game does not work and I am very happy that it does not.

I had to examine my own life in recent years and I continually do that to make sure that I am on the path that will lead to the desired destination as it relates to my relationship with Christ, my family, my kids, etc. and I hope you will do the same.

I would conclude by saying that it is much easier for us to get on the path that will never lead the destination we want and to keep hoping that we will still reach our intended goal than to get on the path that will eventually take us to our goals in life. There are two reasons for this: the first one is we have so many people that are on the road with us that are as lost as we are (misery loves company); and secondly we often don't realize that we are on the wrong path or we just willfully ignore the facts (it feels good to us) . I find myself constantly getting lost and having to refer back to the map to make sure my path is conducive to my destination. I want a healthy body, but I have to force myself to exercise regularly; I hate it. I want a happy marriage, but I find it very difficult a lot of times to show sacrificial love to my wife in all occasions. I could go on and on. I just have to keep referring back to scriptures, which is the map that I follow and the one that I highly recommend. The word of God keeps reminding me that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me and God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God. Finally, the Bible reminds me that I must not rely on my own understanding, but I must trust God who will give me the wisdom to know what to do in every situation, the courage to do what I need to do and the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change.

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