Well Intentioned

I was in a rush to get from Clark Quay to the Cathay.  The conference call was going to start shortly.  There was no time to loose!  Little did I realize how many places I would see before I was in the apartment for the call.
 
The cab driver could sense my urgency.  As we came up to a flood of red taillights, I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.  I was dong everything I could to still the flood of frustration and building anger.  As it wash in and through me, the proposal seemed to make sense. 
 
“Would you like me to take an alternative route and avoid the traffic?”
“Yes, if you think this will get us to the Cathay in less time.”
 
What followed was an excursion across and through parts of Singapore I last saw over thirty years ago.  While interesting, it was a moment that was so far out of my control that it was almost humorous!  Two highways and three major streets later, we began to move towards the Cathay from the opposite side of town.  What should have been a ten-minute journey had stretched into forty.  What was well intentioned turned into anything but.
 
There is much in our lives that echoes that simple taxi journey.  I often think that I know where I am going.  Frequently it extends into an arrogance that says I know more about what I need than God does. The symbols and metaphors found in an old prophet’s words have a degree of truth in my life.   “Behind closed doors you assemble your precious gods and goddesses.  Deserting me, you've gone all out, stripped down and made your bed your place of worship.  You've climbed into bed with the ‘sacred’ whores and loved every minute of it, adoring every curve of their naked bodies.”  (Isaiah 57.8)
 
God offers you and I an alternative.  Rather than wandering, we can follow the Spirit’s path.  Rather than walking in ignorance, we can see life in the fullness of our state of being and God’s love.