“Narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” – Matthew 7:14

“If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will do.” This paraphrase from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, usually makes me smile and laugh a little to myself. That happens when you try to imagine a little girl talking to a cat. This curious exchange between Alice and Cheshire Cat has been on my mind a great deal in recent months. What road have we been traveling that has brought us to a world that is so difficult for us to recognize. Parents and teachers aren’t handling the results of long-distance learning very well. Coaches and athletes are finding it extremely difficult to cope with cancelled seasons and social distancing. Due to COVID-19, we’re being forced to make decisions regarding self-isolation and wearing a mask in public. Political issues are heated and we desperately need racial unity. Our world seems broken in so many ways and we are constantly asking ourselves the question, “How did we get here?”

My military training taught me that the best way to navigate the wilderness is to rely on your compass. “True north” would always lead me home. It’s apparent that we’re living in a world that has lost its moral compass. Regarding human behavior, we appear to have no “true north.” Our trust in God has always kept us going in the right direction and kept us from taking a detour or getting off the path completely. The first rule of hiking is “stay on the trail!” Too often we have decided to exchange God’s moral compass for the human desire to do whatever we choose. If we keep heading down that road, it’s not long before we buy into the idea that my happiness is more important than your happiness. The world is crying out for change and we’re wildly racing down the road looking for it. Beware, in our current situation, just any road won’t do. The only road to fixing our world takes us to God. He is our “true north!”
 
Heavenly Father, direct me home safely in these troubled times. Help me today to make You my “true north”. Amen.