Half the year is gone. I can hardly believe it. Just six months ago, I ventured out in a vision of how my life would shape up. It was the beginning of a new year and a new decade. Then on an early morning walk on April 5, I came across the scene of beautiful azalea bushes in full bloom with a street sign poking out between them. The road sign was an indication that the road was about to make a sharp turn to the left and that speed reduction was required. Even though a pandemic was brewing far away, it did not occur to me that life was about to take a severe turn that would require a reduction in the speed of life. Even so, the parody of this street sign surrounded by the beauty of God’s creation struck my interest and I took the picture. Little did I know that the very next day a shelter in place order would be issued by the governor and life as I knew it was about to drastically change. All that hope and luster of the New Year’s vision would be required to slow down and take a deep turn to the left.

Now here we are three months and counting and I find myself trying to figure out what’s around the bend. Slowing down has forced me to consider my path carefully, examine areas of my life that need work and most importantly to align my vision with God’s plan. it feels like an uncomfortable disruption to my life, but I’ve learned that when God puts us into a deep curve, it’s because he is forming us for His purpose.

This is similar to what God did with Paul in Acts 16:1-10. He was retracing his steps on his second missionary trip but God wouldn’t let him continue in the path he wanted to take until Paul went in the direction God had in store for him. Paul was trying to go right into Bithynia but the Spirit wouldn’t allow it. When Paul had a vision of a man from Macedonia begging Paul to come help in that region, he recognized that God was calling him to a broader ministry area and in obedience, Paul ventured into Macedonia, what we know of as Greece today. Had he not recognized God’s hand in the vision, Paul would have missed the greater part of his ministry that would extend the Gospel into points west and into parts of Europe.

I believe that God has us in a deep turn right now. It’s time to let God speak, direct our paths and be ready for what lies around the bend. As hard as it is to be still, it is necessary to slow down so we don’t run off the path God is laying before us. Everyone is trying so hard to get back to “normal” but what if God is trying to create a new normal for us? What if the point is that God wants us to take a new direction? Can we be flexible enough and obedient to the Spirit of God to go where He leads us and do what He wants us to do? It is my hope and prayer, that I don’t run off the path, that I would be obedient and patient while waiting for this pandemic to pass so that I can be ready for what lies around the bend in this road called life.