The Other Turning

January is ending on a very warm note – at least here in the Iowa! It is only 10:30 am, and I believe we have already hit the mid-30s! I know winter is not over yet, but it certainly is nice to have a bit of a respite and to have some of the piles of ice and snow shrink before more arrives. (I don’t know when it will come, but I’ve lived in the Midwest long enough to know that it is certain to!)

A month ago as I was thinking back over 2008 and looking ahead to 2009 my mom mentioned a quote to me from a sermon by John Henry Jowett in which he says that we may make decisions in our lives which take us in a direction we wish we had not gone. God, however, is not limited by our failings and can bring healing and restoration even in the midst of these decisions. Jowett terms this regret of ours and desire to have made a different choice, “the other turning.”

While he speaks of “the other turning” specifically in relationship to choices we would like back again in our regret so that we may make a different choice, “the other turning” seemed an appropriate phrase to apply to life’s journey in a broader sense, especially at the start of a new year. As I look back over my life, there are a number of instances where significant decisions were made that set me on a trajectory that has brought be to this place, to my little apartment in Des Moines, Iowa. If another decision had been made at one of those junctures, is it possible that I would be writing this post from a completely different geographical location than I am now?

For example, when I was 10 and living in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, my dad had applied and interviewed for high school counselor positions in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Lincoln, Nebraska. He decided that whichever school offered him the position first he would take. Lincoln Christian offered him the job first, so off my family moved to Lincoln where we/they have been ever since. Living in Lincoln certainly impacted the experiences and relationships I’ve had since then.

The second example that comes to mind, my senior year of college I applied for internships at both Living History Farms and at Deerfield in Massachusetts. Both were great programs, and I would have loved to go to either museum. I was accepted as an alternate at the Deerfield program and offered a position at the LHF program. I had to decide about LHF before I would know for sure about Deerfield. I accepted LHF and then was told a few days later that someone had dropped out of the Deerfield program, and there was a spot for me. I’d already sent in my acceptance to LHF, so off to Des Moines I went and here I still am.

I certainly see God’s hand in both situation, guiding my family and I to the places He wanted us to be, but sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if my dad or I had taken “the other turning.” Now I suppose one could become paralyzed wondering which direction they should turn, trying to figure out all the possible outcomes of either decision beforehand. Fortunately though, God calls us to live in faithfulness to Him each day, and as I do that, He will direct my steps in the turning He has for me. As I follow Him, I need not regret my decisions or wish I had taken “the other turning” because the plans He has for me will bring me purpose and fulfillment and Him great glory.

As I prepare to embark on this second month of 2009, I am excited to see what God has for me as I walk in faith, listening to God, trusting Him to guide me to take the turnings He has for me this year. Now they could be quite normal, mundane things, or perhaps it will be something completely life changing. No matter the case, a year from now, I know will be able to rejoice in His faithfulness and not regret the other turnings. I anticipate the journey and am looking forward to sharing it with you on my blog.

New Year's Prayer

"O Lord my God, to you and to your service I devote myself, body, soul, and spirit. Fill my memory with the record of your mighty works; enlighten my understanding with the light of your Holy Spirit; and may all the desires of my heart and will center in what you would have me do. Make me an instrument of your salvation for the people entrusted to my care, and grant that by my life and teaching I may set forth your true and living Word. Be always with me in carrying out the duties of my faith. In prayer, quicken my devotion; in praises, heighten my love and gratitude; in conversation give me readiness of thought and expression; and grant that, by the clearness and brightness of your holy Word, all the world may be drawn into your blessed kingdom. All this I ask for the sake of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen."

~ The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime
Compiled by Phyllis Tickle