Many times crossroads are well marked with flashing lights and plenty of signs to warn you that you are approaching roads that will intersect one another. There may even be speed bumps or rumble strips to warn you that you will soon be required to stop. But sometimes when you are in an unfamiliar area you may come upon a crossroads and barely have time to stop. And in extreme cases you may pass through a crossroads without realizing it until it’s behind you. In those situations you may be lucky and come out on the other side completely unscathed. But unfortunately there is also the possibility of serious if not fatal consequences.
In life crossroads are much the same. Many times we see them well in advance and have plenty of warning that we must stop in order to make the right decision on which direction to proceed and when the time is right to proceed safely. And sometimes we come upon them unexpectedly but in those instances we still have time to stop and evaluate direction and timing. But there are those times when we pass right through the crossroads of life and don’t realize what’s happened until it’s too late. It’s in those instances that we are in danger of making decisions that can have lasting consequences in our lives.
Several years ago a friend’s daughter had made a decision during an emotional time of her life. She set her mind and didn’t look back. When she hit the crossroads she didn’t even realize it. She made a choice at a critical time that she can now see was not the best decision for her future. She had breezed through the crossroads and never looked backed.
At the time it seemed like there were no consequences to her not noticing she was at a major point in her life. She took a turn that felt right at the moment. But that turn took her down a road she can look back on and wish she had never taken. Now she sees that there was a defining moment when she hit the crossroads but she was unprepared to notice it at the time and had no warning signs in place to let her know she was approaching a critical intersection in her life.
As women our warning signs, our rumble strips are our friends. And as believers we have the gift of the Holy Spirit to give us internal signals that we need to slow down and evaluate. Don’t set your life on cruise control and pass through life’s intersections without slowing down to give prayerful and thoughtful time to your decisions. Call on trusted people in your life and ask them to give you biblical wisdom to help you in your decision-making.
There are two simple ways you can avoid passing through the crossroads of life without noticing. First, spend time in prayer and communicate with God by reading His word so that when you hear His Holy Spirit whisper “slow down” you won’t miss the warning. Secondly spend time developing authentic friendships so you will have people in your life who will be your rumble strips. There’s no guarantee you’ll never take a wrong turn but you’re less like to miss the intersection if you have your warning signs in place.
The Only Option 