Hold on...it is gonna get bumpy

God’s way is perfect. The Lord’s promise always proves to be true. He protects those who trust in him. 

(Psalm 18:30 ERV)

There are definitely times when I have to remind myself that God's ways are not always my ways and vice-versa. I can never forget that his ways are "perfect" - while mine are usually a little off-target on occasion! There are times in life when the contradiction between the two are actually what turns me back toward grace and further away from that which would only provide misery or harm in my life!

The perfect ways of God aren't always the easiest, but they are the best for us. Sometimes all we can do is "go with it" - keeping on course with his steps and trusting that we will understand where the path of those steps is leading us in the end. In the meantime, we may want to ask a whole bunch of questions and even question the validity of some of those steps, but there are times when we just have to trust and reveal that trust by taking those steps of obedience he asks us to take.

We can never lose sight of the truth of God's protection - his path will not lead us into what would be harmful for us - but toward what may actually reveal the gem hidden just beneath the surface in our lives! Notice our passage again - it reminds us that it is God's "way", not his "ways". This is not plural - there are not a whole lot of paths to obedience - there is simply one! It is based in trust and that trust is based upon the evidence of his love toward us, grace in operation in our lives, and the fact it is impossible for God to lie!

I am not above disobedience, nor am I above making my own way. That is relevant to you because I haven't reached perfection yet, just like the rest of you who are reading these words. We are ALL struggling to trust, ALL battling with following his steps totally without veering right or left (or turning around to run the other way for that matter), and ALL sometimes find ourselves wondering if it is all going to be worth the effort in the end.

In the meantime - we hold onto God's promises - good as our intentions may be, they don't hold a candle to what he has planned for us, promised to be ours in the end, and prepared for us to achieve with our lives. The path may be a little bumpy at times, but we need to "ride it out". It isn't until we experience the bumps of disobedience on occasion that we come to appreciate the beauty of the places of obedience he has prepared for us! Just sayin!