“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” Isaiah 30:21 NIV

Are you living a life of adventure? Adventure involves risk and uncertainty. You might think of adventure as bungee jumping or rock climbing. But what if you applied that definition to everyday experiences? Then every day takes on an element of adventure, right? And you know what? God is in the middle of our little everyday adventures just as much as the big ones.

My daughter lives in Brooklyn. She's lived in New York for a number of years and knows her way around the New York public transportation system well, so when we visit, we trust her to guide us from one place to another. But on a recent visit, a power outage somewhere in the system turned a routine trip into an adventure! It was full of risk and uncertainty.

The subway lines weren't running normally, so even seasoned subway riders were confused and uncertain as to which train to take. There was a risk of getting on the wrong train and ending up far away from the intended destination. This adventure required carefully listening to instructions from the garbled public address system amidst the hubbub of busy subway stations to get where we wanted to go. It involved adjusting the how in order to achieve the what. Not unlike some of your everyday adventures, right?

Our subway adventure meant listening carefully and taking the next right step. We followed our daughter as she listened and guided us. She knew the system well enough to understand the instructions and where to go next. Have you spent enough time with God to know and understand the instructions He gives you so that you know where to go next?

Eventually, we made it to our destination, just not the way we had intended to. It required flexibility of plans while maintaining commitment to purpose. Commitment to the goal ensured a positive outcome. How committed are you to your goal? Are you committed enough to stay focused on listening for instructions even when you find yourself headed in an unexpected direction?

How flexible are you when God throws a wrench into your plans? Do you listen carefully to instructions and take the next right step toward your destination? That’s what it looks like to live a life that says YES to God. That is the YES adventure!

Dear Friend, keep the end in mind and be willing to adjust how you get there. Listen carefully for His instructions and let Him guide you. How you get where God wants you to go is not as important as getting there. Just take the next right step and you will fulfill the goals that God has for you. Aren’t those the goals that matter most?

Key Question: Am I listening for God’s instructions so that I can take the next right step?

A Scripture to consider: “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” Isaiah 30:21 NIV

A YES challenge: How flexible are you when things don't go as planned? How can you give God your YES in a current course adjustment?

Prayer: Dear Lord, I know that You want to guide me along the best paths, but sometimes I get thrown off when things don't go the way I expect. Help me to keep my heart open to listen for Your instructions. Help me to trust You to get me to where I need to go as I just take the next right step. Amen.

September 12, 2026

This is Not Forever

“For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NLT

As I tearfully opened the sodden boxes of our stored belongings, wondering what was ruined, a verse came to mind,

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Matthew 6:19-21 NLT

We were temporarily living with my parents, and our stuff was stored in Tom’s parents' garage. They had a plumbing issue in their bathroom above the garage, causing a leak that soaked several of our boxes and other items, including our mattress. We weren’t sure what was salvageable.

That period of time was already difficult. We were waiting for a job to open up and unsure how long that would take, how long we would be living with my parents, how long our stuff would be stored. Both sets of parents had been patient, loving, and gracious. There was no one to blame for the water damage. Sometimes things just happen.

But when that verse popped into my brain, it completely changed my perspective on going through the damage. The tears didn’t stop. There was some mourning and disappointment. But at the same time, there was hope. This was temporary. These things were just things. What really mattered was how I responded. I could choose an eternal perspective. I could choose to treasure Christ more than an earthly possession.

As it turned out, very few of our things were unsalvageable, and insurance more than covered anything that was lost. But the eternal perspective I gained is a treasure that I still carry. That simple shift helped me through the three and a half years of living in the in-between.