Will Any Road Do Just Fine?

“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, for the days are evil.”  –  Ephesians 5:15-16 (NKJV)

In 1951, Walt Disney released his 13th animated feature, the classic Alice in Wonderland. The story, derived from Lewis Carroll’s wonderful book titled Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland (written 1865) with a few additional elements from Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass (written in 1871), tells the story of a young girl’s dream-adventure having fallen into a rabbit hole and finding herself in another land entirely, Wonderland.

In the midst of her adventure, the young girl, Alice, comes to a crossroads and doesn’t know which direction to go. Asked by the Cheshire Cat at that moment, “Well, where are you going?” Alice replies, “I don’t know.” Wryly the cat answers, “Well, if you don’t know where you’re going, any road will do very nicely.” This brief, seemingly innocuous answer contains some deep insights for us today as we seek to live lives to the glory of God… but more on that in a bit.

The Apostle Paul, in the fifth chapter of his letter to the church in Ephesus, challenged believers in Christ to be imitators of Him, leaving behind the works of the flesh (darkness), and fellowship with those who participate in those things, and to walk in the truth (light). In the midst of this instruction, Paul writes, “See then that you walk circumspectly…” This is an exhortation for followers of Christ to not only walk in a certain manner  –  “circumspectly”:  carefully, purposefully, thoughtfully, cautiously, watchfully, prudently, guardedly, vigilantly, sincerely – but also to be sure they do so  –  “see then”:  make effort to, be sure to, purpose to. He equates the one who does this to one who is wise, while the one who does not do so he likens to the fool.

I know by now you must be wondering, “Where are you going with this, Steve? What do Alice in Wonderland and the Apostle Paul’s words have in common? What is so insightful and instructional in either of these?” Well, simply this – how often do we really stop to think about where we are going and why we are going there, let alone what it is the Lord would have us do when we get there? More directly, how purposeful a life do you, or I, live in Christ?

Unfortunately, the world we live in pushes us away from the circumspect life to an “any road will do very nicely” life. It calls us to not think for ourselves, especially if it is contrary to what our culture calls normal and acceptable. If we stand and challenge the morays of the society we live in we are called archaic, intolerant, deplorable, and even dangerous… and those are the nice things!!! But know this – Christianity has and always will be counter-cultural because the world we live in is under the sway of the “prince of the power of the air,” the enemy of the cross. This enemy loves that he is increasingly successful in raising generations of people who will follow blindly what they are told is “right” without giving it a thought, and without regard for long established truth, resulting in a lack of meaningful and impactful direction and purpose for life.

Without a doubt, the scriptures tell us the Lord has a purpose and plan for each of our lives, but this will not be discerned by living aimlessly. As we strive to live purposefully, He will be faithful to lead and guide us as He sees fit. Only by living our lives circumspectly will we see clearly the direction He would have us to go, allowing us the honor and privilege of being used of the Lord to “redeem the time” by striving to seize every opportunity, making the most of each, to the glory of Jesus in these increasingly evil days. Ultimately, He has called each of us to share His Good News throughout the world – how’s that for purpose? – and to make Him known.

So, tell you what – my aim is to strive even more diligently to “swim against the flow” and not fall into the trap of settling for just any road that will do nicely… to be even more purposeful in following Christ as He leads me in living the life He has fashioned me for!  What say you?

Until next time… don’t settle for just any road!

Abiding in Christ 1:5

I don’t know about you, but there are just times that I feel my world is chaotic, fraught with setbacks, unforeseen trails and difficulties, uncertainties, and just the “normal” affairs of life that come at me. It is natural during times like there for the human heart, mind, and emotions to seek out a foothold that is immovable. ...

Abiding in Christ 1:4

Have you ever wondered, “What is the will of God for me and my life?” You are in good company since it is probably the most often asked question I have heard in all my years of ministry. We often agonize over "the will of God," wondering about specific jobs, where to live, relationships, locations, or major decisions…

Abiding in Christ 1:3

This past Sunday, during the musical time of the worship service, we were led in singing Goodness of God. In the words of this song, I see the heart of Psalm 9:1 – the reflection on and recounting of how truly good God has been, and is, to us. Let’s meditate for a moment on the words of this worship song…

Abiding in Christ 1:2

It’s easy, and it hardly feels like a sacrifice, to offer up continual praise to the Lord when all is going well. But when our life makes for a bad country western song, “sacrifice” hardly describes the effort it takes to find reasons to praise the Lord continually. The “tension” of this reality is an integral part of what it means...

Abiding in Christ 1:1

This past Sunday, the church we attend – Veneration Church – launched a 16-month journey on what it means to abide in Christ, and to abide in Him in such a way that we can experience the fullness of joy in the here and now. I was blessed when they asked me to be a part of producing the journals for the series. …

Full Surrender: Heb. 12

Each of us are running a race on a unique “course” set for us, individually, by the Lord Himself. What can we learn from Hebrews 12 and other Bible passages that would lend us insight into how we can run our race victoriously all the way through the finish line tape? How can we run in such a way as to glorify God...

Look To The REAL Force

Have you ever felt like the weight of the world is crushing in around you and you’re about to be overwhelmed, the the armies of fear, doubt, concern, and dismay are encamped around you? Maybe it was financial concerns or relationship issues or health...

The Ultimate Resolution – Part Five

I remember buying and setting up our first high-resolution television – one of the 4k flat-screen variety! Once setup, I tuned into a baseball game in progress – if you know me, you can guess it was an Angels game (no comments!) – and I immediately noticed...

The Ultimate Resolution – Part Four

Resolve is a word people tend to not use, let alone display, much anymore. Those who resolve to do something are usually devoted to a creed or belief, principle, or course of action - or in the case of some, following the teaching of a person - and display…

The Ultimate Resolution – Part Three

“I didn’t know how sick I was until I got well.” This is often said, in retrospect, by people who have struggled with their health-wise upon their recovery. Many times, the focus on fighting against and simply coping with the symptoms of their illness…

Abiding in Christ 1:5

I don’t know about you, but there are just times that I feel my world is chaotic, fraught with setbacks, unforeseen trails and difficulties, uncertainties, and just the “normal” affairs of life that come at me. It is natural during times like there for the human heart, mind, and emotions to seek out a foothold that is immovable. …

Abiding in Christ 1:4

Have you ever wondered, “What is the will of God for me and my life?” You are in good company since it is probably the most often asked question I have heard in all my years of ministry. We often agonize over “the will of God,” wondering about specific jobs, where to live, relationships, locations, or major decisions…

Abiding in Christ 1:3

This past Sunday, during the musical time of the worship service, we were led in singing Goodness of God. In the words of this song, I see the heart of Psalm 9:1 – the reflection on and recounting of how truly good God has been, and is, to us. Let’s meditate for a moment on the words of this worship song…

Abiding in Christ 1:2

It’s easy, and it hardly feels like a sacrifice, to offer up continual praise to the Lord when all is going well. But when our life makes for a bad country western song, “sacrifice” hardly describes the effort it takes to find reasons to praise the Lord continually. The “tension” of this reality is an integral part of what it means…

Abiding in Christ 1:1

This past Sunday, the church we attend – Veneration Church – launched a 16-month journey on what it means to abide in Christ, and to abide in Him in such a way that we can experience the fullness of joy in the here and now. I was blessed when they asked me to be a part of producing the journals for the series. …

Full Surrender: Heb. 12

Each of us are running a race on a unique “course” set for us, individually, by the Lord Himself. What can we learn from Hebrews 12 and other Bible passages that would lend us insight into how we can run our race victoriously all the way through the finish line tape? How can we run in such a way as to glorify God…

Look To The REAL Force

Have you ever felt like the weight of the world is crushing in around you and you’re about to be overwhelmed, the the armies of fear, doubt, concern, and dismay are encamped around you? Maybe it was financial concerns or relationship issues or health…

The Ultimate Resolution – Part Five

I remember buying and setting up our first high-resolution television – one of the 4k flat-screen variety! Once setup, I tuned into a baseball game in progress – if you know me, you can guess it was an Angels game (no comments!) – and I immediately noticed…

The Ultimate Resolution – Part Four

Resolve is a word people tend to not use, let alone display, much anymore. Those who resolve to do something are usually devoted to a creed or belief, principle, or course of action – or in the case of some, following the teaching of a person – and display…

The Ultimate Resolution – Part Three

“I didn’t know how sick I was until I got well.” This is often said, in retrospect, by people who have struggled with their health-wise upon their recovery. Many times, the focus on fighting against and simply coping with the symptoms of their illness…

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

WANT MORE?

SIGN UP TO GET NOTICES WHEN WE UPLOAD A NEW DEVOTIONAL OR POST VIA E-MAIL!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.