Finally some wisdom sets in

This Sunday is the Lincoln Marathon. 

We live very close to the route of the marathon and after 12 years you think we'd learn where not to go. One Sunday a few years ago, the kids and I were at church waiting for Gene to show up. I waited and waited alone in the sanctuary and no husband. At that time Gene didn't believe in cell phones so I had no idea what had happened to him. 

We returned home after service to find out that he had only made it 3 blocks from our home and spent over an hour just sitting in traffic unable to go through the intersection due to so many runners. The wait was so long he turned off his truck and just sat there in frustration watching the runners pass by him.

This week I received an e-mail warning us of the traffic delays caused by the marathon. Here is the first paragraph: The goal of this e-mail is to make people aware that ingress/egress to 

downtown is best from the east on Vine, Q, P, or O Street once the 
runners clear 16th at the start. Also that motorists can avoid long 
delays trying to cross Capitol Parkway by actually looping around it.

The words you find consistent throughout the rest of the e-mail are: busy, delay, divert, congestion, very difficult.  

So often in life, I have found myself in a place that I have wondered, how did I get here? Places that have caused me frustration. Just like this e-mail warning us to not go certain places, God warns us in the Bible of places that aren't good for us. 

In Proverbs 5:7-8 He tells us to stay away from adultery: Now then, my sons, listen to me; do not turn aside from what I say. Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house.

And yet affairs happen every day.

In 1 Peter 5:8 we're strongly warned of the devil: Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

And yet we're in shock when we are under attack. 

Throughout God's Word, we have warnings of what can happen to us if we go places we aren't supposed to be whether in person or in our mind. And yet, we let go of God's hand and wander off on our own path of destruction. 

Over and over again. 

When we do this we get very busy with meaningless things. 

We divert others from getting to know our Jesus. 

We get caught in the congestion of sin and the consequences of it. 

And when we part from God, our life is very difficult. 

We have to take our Father's words to heart and learn from our bad choices instead of repeating them. 

So many times we are repeat offenders for years before we realize that this just isn't working for us. As the 

e-mail above suggests, let's loop around the plans that Satan has for us and stay on course with God's plans for our lives. 

After 12 years of getting stuck in traffic and either missing church or being late, we have finally caught on. We'll be at church at 6pm on Saturday night this year. And on Sunday you'll find us 3 blocks from our home in lawn chairs cheering on our brave friends running in front of frustrated motorists. 

Blessings,

*Also...those that have contributed to helping me get to the Proverbs 31 Ministries writer/speaker conference this summer whether by prayer or finances...I am humbled, blessed and have been brought to many tears. Thank you so much for believing in this woman in Nebraska. 

May God bless you in ways you can't imagine like He has me. 

Love, 

Lelia