Father Knows Best

Karen

The LORD said, “It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law.”

—Jeremiah 9:13

The car was packed; the gas tank full; a cooler stood chock-full of sandwiches for the long ride. My three kids and I were gleefully off on a summertime adventure. In the midst of a stressful and busy move, we threw caution to the wind and took my friend up on an invitation to join her at a beachfront home she was being allowed to use for free.

Now, this was no small undertaking. It was going to be a seventeen-hour trip with three kids in the car.

We didn’t have GPS back then, but I did use an online site that spit out detailed directions. I thought these directions would make the trip a piece of cake. So I printed them off, tucked them in a folder, and revved up the car’s engine.

Before I left, however, my father called me. He spends winters near the beach where we were going. He offered to give me verbal directions since he has traveled that route twice a year for the past eighteen years and is very familiar with how to get there.

I reluctantly wrote down my dad’s instructions. Then I tossed his directions into the glove compartment. I thanked him for the gesture but assured him I probably wouldn’t need them. As I left, he said, “You might. Remember, father knows best!”

About halfway to our destination, I noticed that the exit number and the exit name on the internet’s directions didn’t match up. I chose to follow the exit number. Soon after that, I became completely lost. I got off the exit, headed back to where I’d made the turn, and tried again.

But this way didn’t work either! When I got off again, I popped into a gas station and asked for help. The attendant smiled and handed me a piece of paper with corrected directions already written on it. Every day the gas station had dozens of lost travelers wandering into their establishment longing to get back on the right track.

Worried that the rest of my internet directions might be wrong as well, I quickly fumbled through the glove compartment to find my father’s detailed instructions. I ran them by the gas station attendant. “Perfect!” he commented. “Just stick to your father’s instructions and you won’t be lost.”

Like so much of life, we hear of newfangled shortcuts, ways to find happiness, or even new paths for getting to heaven. We must resist the desire to trust these so-called new ways and instead follow our Father’s original instructions: the Holy Bible.

God’s instructions are never wrong. They lead to peace, contentment, and a home with Him in heaven forever. Much better than a week at the beach!

Dear Lord, help me get and stay forever grounded in Your ancient instructions, the Bible. May I follow only Your holy ways. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Have you ever been in a situation where you got lost? How did you find your way out? What lesson did you learn?