by Susan C. Troth
How did I get here?
Does that question make you pause? Does it give you a sick feeling in your gut? Maybe it can be asked with grateful disbelief. Too often it is asked in a despair. This question usually is asked when we have arrived, but the destination is wrong or not what we thought it would be.
Three months ago, Rick and I were hiking a beautiful trail in a park about a mile from our home. It has waterfalls, cliffs, bridges, beautiful trees and rocks. Sigh. We decided to explore the lower trail down at the creek. Once we climbed down, we saw a newly built bridge leading to a bed of rocks, then a grassy path. “Wow! That’s looks beautiful. Let’s check out that trail and maybe it circles back to the start.” So, we headed across the bridge with Rick taking the lead. I love exploring! I stepped off the bridge onto the bed of rocks and was in the middle of saying, “If I survive these rocks…..(then it will really be fun),” when my right ankle turned and I heard a loud crack. I fell to my knees and Rick came to my side. The ankle was already swollen and painful. We needed to get to an ER.
Rick headed down the beautiful, grassy path to see where it would take us.
He walked around the bend and there was a sign. “Dead End.” Sigh.
If only we had known that before we started over the pretty bridge. If only we had known, it was a dead end before we stepped off on to the rocks.
The only thing left to do was to pray, hold onto Rick and Climb Back Out! We were a mile down the trail and another mile from home because we had walked to the park. Fortunately, a neighbor came and picked us up, but that was the most difficult hike up to the top and out of the park I have ever experienced. It was followed by a trip to the ER, diagnosis of broken ankle, and after 5 months, my ankle still isn’t free of pain and occasional swelling.
How did we get here?
If only we had not chosen that path.
There was a bridge to a dead end!
It looked so inviting!
Welcome to Principle two of the ONE life. The ONE life is lived in harmony with the ten principles for prosperity that are contained in Psalm 1. A prosperous life that has stability, accomplishment, and legacy. This article focuses on the second principle – Check Your Path.
The Psalm begins with the person, “that man,” and the paths that we choose. Like any path, this one progresses. Notice that there is a progression and three sets of qualifiers in Psalm 1:1 – “Blessed is the man…”
“Who walks not in the counsel of the wicked.”
“nor stands in the way of sinners,”
“nor sits in the seat of scoffers.”
There are paths in life. There are choices to be made. There are biblical instructions to help us make good decisions. Let’s dig into the first group of qualifiers.
Pace
Advertisers love to exploit our curiosity. We want to see what is around the bend (dead end sign). Discover the new trend. We are drawn to learn. We want the new trend. We also must grow our stimulation for fun. Do you remember the first time you drove a car? It was exciting, but now it is just a tool for transportation. Do you watch popular Instagram reels so you can be current? I’ve noticed that boredom has become dreaded. If I have time to spare, like waiting for an elevator to come, I don’t look around, I look down – at my phone. This drive to fill up every empty space in our lives and not leave room for contemplation and observation has a price. It is the loss of meditation, consideration, and prudence or exercising caution.
The man who allows himself to be drawn to all of life’s curiosities will be led down an unhealthy path. You can see the nature of the journey in the description of the pace. It begins with a lean, a look – “Oh, this looks fun.” And the walk begins to discover the path. At this point a wise walker could look around, stop and make some determinations. Ask to see if someone has already taken this path and find out where it leads. Look for signs of danger like a bed of rocks or financial ruin, physical pain, and friends lost.
Heedless of the wisdom in pausing to ascertain dangers, the walker continues down the path to a landmark. He stops and stands. The decision to spend time here is not a good one because the people he hangs out with are sinners. The implication is that there is awareness of unadvisable cohorts. So, how would a walker learn not to stop and stand? He could read the signs. Are the people you are drawn to hang out with positive influences? Do their habits, words, actions lead you to good, healthy influences? Are their choices wise?
But it doesn’t end with standing. The rejection of caution leads to the walker sitting down to fellowship. This connotes giving time to linger and live with unadvisable ethics and morality. Pretty soon our walker is unrecognizable to those who knew him before he started walking down this path. He has followed his curiosity into a new persona with unhealthy and unwise habits. The walker has settled into his new journey. Hanging out for the long haul, if you will.
This Pace that we see in Psalm 1 is not inherently unhealthy unless it takes us to dangerous places. That man who is blessed will not blithely go down a road. He will consider long term consequences and regrets. That man is blessed.
Now let’s consider the second qualifier – practice.
Practice
If you are dehydrated, parched, and looking to satisfy your thirst, it is important what you reach for to drink. Spring water, polluted river water, or poison. Each liquid will wet a thirst, but all give You different results.
Don’t be naïve.
When he begins to walk he asks for counsel/advice. Not a bad thing to do at all, but consider who gives you advice. Is it a popular social media personality? Television panel? Pastor? Sister, brother, father, or mother? The next qualifier identifies the depth of influence that the walker receives. Do you know their background, ethics, history? Do you know their experience?
The walker continues down this dangerous path by moving from advice to standing in the way. A decision has been made based upon the counsel received. The walker is going to try the lifestyle. Maybe the walker thinks, “I’ll just try gambling this one time. I can afford to lose $1,000. I can rebound in a worst-case scenario.” Beware. It takes one puff to start the addiction. One lingering glance can lead to adultery. A little poison will poison the entire glass. One wrong step on the rocks broke my ankle.
The slippery slope is getting steeper.
The walker probed by asking for advice, lingered in the midst of the danger and now he sits down. The decision has been made to fully live in the lifestyle. He is all in. Being totally devoted isn’t bad when the source of your devotion is good, healthy, wise, and godly. Being totally devoted is disastrous when your devotion cripples your mind, spirit, soul, body, and wallet. Trust me, it’s not fun being crippled (by a broken ankle).
Now let’s ponder the final qualifier – persons.
Persons
There are ringmasters who beckon you down this hazardous path to meet your destiny. The description begins broadly – “wicked.” This is a generic term for someone with morals and ethics that are twisted and evil. This advice will be contrary to Biblical truths and the veracity of the Bible will be soundly rejected. The counsel of the wicked will be contrary to godly truth, moral ethics, goodwill, and sound judgement. But the walker doesn’t heed the bad feeling he has in his gut, so he continues.
Now that he has heard the “too good to believe” offers of the wicked, he will stand in the way of sinners. The qualifier, “sinner,” denotes a person who breaks the laws/instructions of God. It’s not difficult for the walker to stop here once he has called into question the foundational truths of God’s word. The naïve walker might have heard warnings, but he didn’t pay attention to them. Of course, there is probably some short-term fun associated with these sinful ways, but the long-term consequences are disregarded – not even considered.
It is this disregard for consequences and regrets that will lead the walker to now settle in and sit down with scoffers. These are people who brag about their abhorrent, unhealthy choices. The walker thinks he is above consequences and things will be different for him. It will take a lot to move him from his place at this unsatiated table of lies.
How can we learn to spot this perilous pathway and not end up saying, “How did I get here?”
Proverbs 8:32-36, “Blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not disdain it. Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord; but he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; all those who hate me love death.”
These verses describe “that blessed man” in Psalm ONE. He fears the Lord (he doesn’t stray from God’s path because he is mindful of the unhealthy consequences). He values caution, knowledge, discretion, and searches for wisdom. He does not have wicked advisors, but hears wise instruction and doesn’t disdain/despise wisdom. That blessed man doesn’t walk the same pathways as sinners, but instead he daily searches for wisdom and waits (sits) at the doors of truth. He knows that the heart searching after wise, godly paths will find life, happiness, and blessings.
And the sinful man (the walker in Psalm 1)? “Be he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; all those who hate me love death.” The sinful man is toxic and poisonous. Do not drink a drop of his liquid, for it will not quench your thirst, but lead to death. Before we leave this description, let me remind you – even legal things can lead down a dangerous path to addiction and death.
What’s the bottom line? Let’s walk the path with healthy markers. Step in the way that leads to stability, health, accomplishment, stewardship, and legacy. Avoid the path that leads to addiction, popularity, trends, and burn out. Live for the benefit of our community and not the satiety of selfish desires. It takes valor, knowledge, and steadfast resolve to walk the path of wisdom. But the end of the journey will be spent surveying a productive, prosperous life that has “yielded it fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.” Rather than the shocking realization that one’s life has been “like chaff that the wind drives away” and leads to the hollow query, “How did I get here?”.
Do you need to make a u-turn and change your path? Do you need help with the burden of grief, fear and stress that is overwhelming you? Susan Troth Ministries has resources to help you. You can sign up to receive her free weekly devotional email and access resources on the her website, www.susantroth.com.
