Did you see the video?  Too cute!  This is my 2-year-old grandson. Precious!  Then it struck me. Don’t we have days where we feel like we are running in circles, with a bucket on our heads?  Not knowing what we’ll run into next. Funny at first but then it hits home.  That awful feeling of getting caught up in “stuff”, running aimlessly.

Listen. You can hear the clanging on the outside, too loud to hear anything inside. Often we live like this.  Guided by the “outside” influences and not listening to the voice within.

But wait!  Look closely. He tipped his new hat to look up if only for a split second to check his course and redirect as needed. He senses he is going to hit the cabinet.  Has he been there before so he learned to anticipate where to stop?  Could he “sense” the obstacle somehow?

Sound familiar?  Do we charge ahead each day, often blindly, hoping to avoid unpleasant obstacles? Yes, too often I am afraid.  And when we do press on ahead, do we take a peek just in the nick of time to avoid a near crash?  Yes, there are times we can “save the day” but how can we get in a better habit of strategically planning our course and avoiding running in circles when it’s not a game with a toddler?

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV comes to mind. “Trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight”.

Submit, Surrender maybe.  Again, a choice we make to follow Him. To ask for our minds to be at peace to allow Him to speak to us, to give us direction and wisdom for what we are to do.  For me, it’s to “empty me of me so I can be filled with You”.  (lyrics from “Empty Me” by Chris Sligh)

The choice, my choice comes long before the craziness. Each day starts with quiet time.  You’ve seen the tee shirt. Jesus and coffee. Yes, it’s the best start to the day.  Time in The Word, ponder, listen and then REALLY try to calm my mind to listen.  I always struggle with this. Admitting it is the first step. My heart is in the right place, but I just don’t do so well getting my brain to remain quiet.  God does speak, just not always in my quiet times.

So, do I run around with the proverbial bucket on my head?  Sure, there are days. But I try to stop, trust the Lord and “Lean not on my own understanding”. Will you?