When we Find Ourselves a Little Lost

When we were kids my parents headed to India to serve on a missions trip and left my siblings and I with my aunt and uncle that lived a state away.  We met in Durango, Colorado and then headed to their home outside Steamboat Springs.  They decided we should make it an adventure along the way and so we camped out at a beautiful place called, Lost Lake.  There were six of us kids including my cousins and my uncle thought a hike was in order to get some energy out.  So, we headed out around the lake, on a path at first and then not really because well, we were adventurous.  But then something funny happened at Lost Lake, we got lost.  The irony, we got lost at Lost Lake.  What started out as an adventure quickly turned to fear.  We didn't know where we were, it would be dark soon, and we had no supplies.  We began to look for things that were familiar, but our path seemed to have disappeared.  My uncle climbed a pine tree to get a better view, but all he could see was more trees.  Our fear started to look more like panic by now and our hope was diminishing.  Suddenly, my aunt circled us up and said we need to pray.  Oh duh, no one had thought of that!  We all held hands, bowed our heads and fervently prayed that the Lord would help us find our way back to camp.  About five minutes after that prayer, someone said, "Hey! I just heard a car door shut in this direction."  So, we took off in that direction and miraculously we found our camp about twenty minutes later.  Why was that miraculous, because there was no road near us, not a place for a car to have entered the forest, basically there was no car.  We believe that although our hope was diminishing and we had run out of things that we could do on our own, when we went to Jesus, he shut a car door to lead us back to the path and ultimately to the safety of our camp.

How easily we can get lost in life?  One minute we're on the path, the next we're of trying to forge our own adventure.  When we realize that the path has disappeared and we have no idea how we got to the place we are, what's our first thought?  Figure out how we can get back on our own?  Try all the things within our own strength?  Yet, what if our first thought was, "Lord, help me get back on the path"?  Will He not shut the car door for you to hear and lead you back to the path He has for you?

Today, I encourage you if you feel a little lost and are trying to find your way back to the trail.  Stop, circle up and ask Jesus for the help to get back to what He has for you.