She was three, and the epitome of cuteness. Dressed in baby blue and sequins and holding a lollypop, she and the rest of her beginning dance class tapped their way around a lopsided circle for their 2-minute spot in the performance. It was a fun conclusion to her first semester of dance lessons.
What came next, however, wasn’t fun or cute. As class after class took its place on stage, the music, costumes, and dances started to change. What began as simple and sweet gradually morphed into suggestive and sensual. By the end of the recital, the oldest girls, dressed in scanty leotards and heavy makeup, danced in ways that made my heart break and my husband turn away.We withdrew our daughter from dance class the next day.
Proverbs 4:26 tells us to “ponder the path of your feet.”
When we caught a glimpse of what was down the road for our daughter if she continued in this program, we knew we didn’t want to go there. Thankfully we realized it before we were highly invested.
How often, though, do we find ourselves arriving somewhere we never intended to go? I believe this happens with everything from careers to credit card debt to extra-marital affairs.
If we stop to ponder the path of our feet, would we:
Allow our children to participate in sports or activities that will ultimately consume our family time, dictate our schedules, and cause us to miss church on a regular basis?
Work closely with or enter into deeply personal conversations with a co-worker, church member, friend, or Facebook friend of the opposite sex, thus opening the door for temptation and sin?Purchase items (perhaps on credit) that will cost a lot to use and maintain, thereby limiting our ability to give to others when God prompts us? Purchasing what we can’t afford also requires us to work overtime, nights, and weekends to pay for it, thus affecting our family lives, friendships, and church attendance.
Invest our limited time and energy in good causes while neglecting our families, homes, and churches?
Are you on a path you never intended to walk? If you pause, pray, and ponder the path of your feet, God, the giver of all wisdom (James 1:5) will help you choose what is best. And it’s never too late to turn around. I’m praying for you today.
What about you? Have you ever found yourself on a path you never intended to travel? What did you do? Leave a comment below and share your story. If you’re reading by email, CLICK HERE and scroll down to the bottom of the post to leave a comment.
In my quest to read through the Bible in a year, this post is based on Proverbs 4:26.
This devotion is an excerpt from Lori’s new book, Hungry for God … Starving for Time, 5-Minute Devotions for Busy Women. You want to connect with God, but in the craziness of life, it’s just not happening. You want practical, biblical answers to situations you face every day, but you don’t have hours to pore over Scripture.
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I love it when God opens our eyes BEFORE we get to the place where regret will overwhelm us. We have been blessed by this same mercy-- it was in regards to our children playing sports that threatened to take over our family. We ran the opposite way when God showed us the future with eight children in eight different teams. Praise God!
ReplyDeleteOh, my, you're not kidding! James 1:5 seems to be the verse I cling to as a parent: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men liberally. . . "! Thanks for stopping by today.
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