Friday, May 7

But I call upon God, and the Lord will save me.
—Psalm 55:16

We are never left alone to navigate our way through the traffic of life. We are taught from childhood to manage our own affairs, stand up for ourselves, and work to achieve all the things that will make us successful and contributing members of society. 

We experience throughout life the twisty two-lane highways, the steady and straight freeways, the crowded avenues filled with sirens and honking horns, and always we are left to choose how we will respond.

We can choose to continue trying to steer solo, as if we were in ultimate control of our lives. This choice keeps us teetering on the fringes of life, hoping that self-help books, support groups, self-talk, or medication can somehow make it possible for us to travel safely through the byways of a complicated existence.

The other choice is to lift our eyes, our heart, our mind, our soul to heaven. To let the self-help books, self-talk, support groups, medication be the green lights that lead us onward toward something, Someone, greater than our own selves. This choice frees the silent unseen voice that rests below the surface of control, opening it up to the waiting heart of heaven.

In one small prayer, one cry toward God, one call upon the One who has loved us into being, we know we are never left to navigate our way through life's traffic on our own.

O God, the choice is always mine to make. You do not force me to pray to you for help, but your heart always waits for my feeble cry.

These Signposts originally appeared on explorefaith in 2004.