Along the Straight and Narrow Path...the Scenic Route

"e;Mom, you did it again!"e;The total dismay in my daughter's voice as she realized we were lost only increased my feelings of frustration and anxiety. She was right. I had, in fact, "e;done it again."e; I had forgotten to look at a map to get directions to her recital. We were again "e;taking the scenic route,"e; and were going to be late.Life is often thought of as a journey. But many of us put more time and effort into preparing for a short vacation than we do in planning for our life journey. Because of that, we sometimes wind up "e;taking the scenic route"e; in life.This book takes a look at one of the most basic tools necessary for a journey-a map. In life, our "e;map"e; is the internal collection of values and beliefs that we rely on every day. Therefore, it is extremely important for us to be sure it is a good map. If we try to go through life without one, we often wind up making bad decisions and spending precious time on unnecessary (sometimes painful) experiences-in other words, taking a scenic route.As long as I can remember, the phrase "e;along the straight and narrow path"e; has been an analogy for life. But it is not easy. I have strayed off the path more times than I want to admit. Some of those times have been because of mistakes in my map, but other times have been because of sheer pigheadedness on my part.I would like to show you parts of my map and talk about some of my scenic route experiences. Some of these are painfully embarrassing, but I hope you can identify with some of them and that my experiences can help you.Matthew 7:1314. Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (KJV, emphasis mine)