He finished off the knot and placed the stick in her hands. After a few gentle spins and guiding her in the general direction, he released her. Blindfolded and a little dizzy, she swung.

Her friends burst into commotion as her first attempt met the empty air.

Undaunted by the miss and more sure of the direction, once more she fired her warrior stick, slightly grazing the pinata’s tip. Determined to annihilate the only thing standing between her and the desires of her mouth, she reared back and swung with all her might, twirling as though she were dancing for an audience.

I wish I could say she snapped it in half but frustrated by the attempts, she pulled the blindfold off, paused briefly to watch it sway in the tree, and marched to the back of the line.

So often, I’ve approached life choices the same way, whether it’s to establish a healthy habit, spend more time with God, built a character trait, pray more, or (insert yours here). Tired from the attempts, I pause briefly before marching to the back of the line to try yet AGAIN.

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All the while, the treasure stands within reach but sways in the tree reminding me of another failed attempt.

Sounds familiar? Did you know that 80% of all resolutions end by the second week of February? Now, I’m not one to set New Year’s resolutions because you can start making a difference at any time, but I think this applies to most changes in life. We start off with a sincere desire to make different life choices only to have life changes derail us. The new excitement wears off, and we fade back into the same routine.

That’s why I’m excited about our next series here on the blog: “At The Crossroads.”

Benjamin Franklin said it this way, “We stand at the crossroads, each minute, each hour, each day, making choices. We choose the thoughts we allow ourselves to think, the passions we allow ourselves to feel, and the actions we allow ourselves to perform. Each choice made in the context of whatever value system we have selected to govern our lives.”

In my life, I have made some great choices, but I’ve also made some incredibly bad decisions. Those really rotten ones, well, they were governed by my value system. A system consisting of my desires and dreams, past experiences, the opinions of others, and more.

Every choice you and I make is a crossroad. A decision that cannot coexist with another.  In Scripture, we find four overall main crossroad areas, which we will cover in the weeks ahead: God, self, others, and money.

“This is what the Lord says: Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it and you will find rest for your souls.” Jeremiah 6:16

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From this one verse, we learn:

  1. God speaks. Are we taking the time to listen?
  2. Pause – if you’re “standing,” you’re not moving so take time to pause and be still.
  3. Look – evaluate the choices ahead.
  4. Inquire – Ask for an enlightened vision to see the ancient path He chose for you long ago; the excellent way that leads to life. Ask and ask again.
  5. Walk – For any change of direction, it must be acted upon.
  6. Find Rest – Our soul’s rest comes from following His leading in all areas.

So, sign up for the newsletter, grab your Godly goal sheet, spend some time pausing, looking, inquiring, and listening over the next week. Then, check your e-mail next week for your first set of worksheets and meet me back here as we dig into the most crucial crossroad – God.

Let’s make this the year we rip off the blindfold and swing our warrior stick!

 

info@estherdorotik.com