Well, that didn’t turn out the way I thought it would.. A statement we have all made when what we thought would happen didn’t. When we reflect on the way things actually go versus the way we thought they would, we begin to see what we missed. Understanding that is the beginning of wisdom. Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

While spring racing has always been a challenging undertaking weather wise in the Northeast, we are willing to give it a try. This spring has had its share of challenges. While the second day of the twice postponed Icebreaker finally was run the day was less than ideal. Couple that with the condensed opening weekend at Stafford Motor Speedway’s Sizzler and we begin to understand we don’t know what to expect in the weather department.

In both cases we persevered, got the event in, but at what cost? You see we make the best decisions we can with the information we are presented with, but the fact remains we do not possess the knowledge to predict the future. That doesn’t stop us from making plans, pursuing those plans, even executing those plans in the effort to follow through with what we decided to do.

I have been asked many times; “Can’t you do anything about this weather?” I can’t, the weather is out of my control. I am in the order receiving business, not the order giving business. I can ask, but the answer will determine the direction we go from there. Sometimes we stop and try again another day. Sometimes we persevere through and do what we planned.

Right or wrong decisions are not only made with the information we have, but with information we don’t have. We don’t know everything and to decide what to do without knowing all the factors is foolish. So how do we move forward? First, let me suggest leaving the decisions to the people they affect most. What I’m saying is, don’t try to tell other people what to do.

There are a couple passages of Scripture that come to mind, one relates to how we plan for ourselves and the other relates to how we look at the decisions others make around us.

Let’s jump off with what we can decide, how do we make decisions? James gives us a clue;

James 4:13-16; NLT; Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.

James points out that we decide to do things without asking God to direct those decisions. We need to acknowledge that we don’t know everything, we cannot predict tomorrow and to assume we can is foolish. We cannot make decisions with certainty and follow that plan regardless of where we end up. To do so is arrogant. We let pride and ego guide us instead of wisdom.

Change in plans is not a bad thing. Certainly, when those changes are due to something God has revealed to us. One of the things we need to remember is when we give our lives to God through Jesus, He is the one in control. Our responsibility is to be obedient. That is not something arrogance, pride or ego help us with. Also, waiting until we have every possible piece of information before we plan or move isn’t helpful either.

We need to be moving toward something for God to guide us. It is hard to guide someone who is sitting still. Also, as Will Rogers said, even if you are on the right road, you’ll get run over if you just sit there. With that knowledge how do we proceed?

Let me suggest wisdom starts in realizing what we don’t know. It is wise to plan for change. It is wise to understand that things change and information becomes available that wasn’t available when we set out on our journey.

Think of using a GPS. We are traveling from point A to point B. Which way do we go? The fastest, the fewest turns, the shortest route. We pick one and head out. Then the GPS flashes a warning, traffic ahead but you are still on the fastest route. We then decide to sit in traffic or select a different route. All this is done on our own understanding. I have blindly followed the GPS and ended up driving down some roads that I am pretty sure haven’t been traveled that much. Maybe I should have asked for some other input?

The availability of God and asking for His guidance is one of the benefits we receive from having a relationship with Him. The more we talk with Him the more we recognize His voice. The easier it is to let Him guide us. One familiar passage comes to mind.

Proverbs 3:5-6; NLT; Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

God is available to ask for direction from. He is waiting for us to turn to Him. He is ready and willing to guide us in the right path. No decision is too small or great. He knows what awaits ahead. Not only that but He has a plan for each of our lives. We will not receive that plan until we seek Him out and ask for His guidance.

We need to set our arrogance, pride and ego aside and seek God and His direction. He will guide along the right path. Hearing His guidance and following His direction is our choice. He will not force us, but understand the consequences of following our own direction may bring about things we did not anticipate or desire.

“If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”

Blessings,

Pastor Don