What Seems Right

Scripture Reading: Proverbs 16:25

There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

While hiking we came to a fork in the trail. A decision had to be made. Which path would we take? It wasn’t an inconsequential choice. One path would lead us back to our desired destination, the other far away from it. We could have trusted our instincts and went with a gut feeling. And maybe we would have gotten lucky and ended up where we had hoped. But there was a better way to choose. We looked at the trail map and checked the trail markers. We got our bearings, figuring out where north, south, east, and west were. Then we chose our path.

“Follow your heart” is the common counsel handed out to people who are seeking direction in life. Sometimes people listen to that advice and get lucky. They end up in a good place. But too often the heart leads us astray. “The heart,” the prophet proclaimed, “is evil and deceitfully wicked. Who can know it?”

It is far better to check the trail guide and get your bearings. See what God has to say on the matter. Discover what biblical principles and truths are involved. Let His word be “a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path.”