Opposite Directions

It was 7:30 am on the last day of our holiday. We packed up the car and left our motel. We had a ferry to catch.
Driving down the highway my husband exclaimed, "Wait a minute! I think we're going in the wrong direction."
"No, I don't think so." I disagreed.
"Yes, I think so." he insisted. "I think Picton is the opposite direction."
We were driving out of Nelson the same way we had driven in. I somehow had it in my head that we had come into Nelson from the right, which would have meant we were now going in the right direction.
"Well, I think we should check to make sure before you turn around. We don't want to drive in the opposite direction." I cautioned. I rummaged around and found a small map. Looking at it I realized I had completely lost my sense of direction. We were driving in the opposite direction to where I thought we were going.
'You're right, this is the wrong way" I admitted.
We turned around, drove in the opposite direction and arrived in Picton a few hours later.

There are two different lessons I learned from this.
1)Sometimes you're convinced you are going in the right direction when are going in the wrong direction.
The Bible says, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end therof are the ways of death."
It's possible to be convinced that you are going to heaven, when you might not be. It's so important to read God's Map which tells us how to get to Heaven. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life, no man cometh unto the father but by me.
If you are trusting in anything other than Jesus, you are going in the opposite direction to Heaven.
Make sure you read God's Map, the Bible, for yourself. Don't trust in your good works, your church, your baptism, your prayers or anything else other than Jesus and His good works. A real relationship with Him is the only way to Heaven.

2) Sometimes the right road is not at all what you expected.
When I was a teen I was convinced that God wanted me to be a missionary overseas all my life. I was sure this was the direction my life was supposed to go. But instead I found that God wanted me to marry someone who had immigrated to my country, and be a wife and mother. This was not at all the direction I had planned to go in. It made no sense to me. And yet, this is exactly what God wanted for me. I know this because I prayed and sought His will in every step and decision.
In the last year, my life has taken a new road again. Our last child has Down Syndrome and heart conditions. I never imagined that I would ever have a 'handicapped' child or a child with heart problems. This is not a road I thought I would be travelling. But this is the right road for me.
Can you relate to this? Are there things in your life that have not worked out as you had planned? Maybe you hoped you would be on your way to being married by now, maybe you have lost a loved one, maybe you have a health problem thats ruined your plans, a broken relationship that's ruined your dreams, or family problems that's ruined your happy home. Is life just not going in the right direction?
Don't worry and don't spend your life being bitter or sad. If you are walking with God, then this is the right road for you even if it's not what you expected. God's thoughts are far higher than ours. He knows what we need and He sees the big picture. Make sure you are seeking His will by prayer and reading the Bible. Then you will know that you are on the right road even when it seems the opposite!