We Took a Wrong Turn Somewhere

"We must have made a wrong turn somewhere."

I was in the Clark International Airport in the Philippines, ready to head home to Bali after the whirlwind trip I mentioned in yesterday's post. 

As I walked through the waiting lounge by Gate 2, I was nearly dive-bombed by a pair of sparrows. They had somehow gotten trapped inside the building. 

I can almost imagine the conversation Sam and Sarah Sparrow might have if they could speak English.

"I think we must have made a wrong turn somewhere," says Sam.

"Oh really? You think?" Sarah retorts. 

"Don't worry. I'll get us out of here."

"Yeah, right. I won't hold my breath."

Two hours later, the Sparrows are still flying around the boarding lounge

"Sam, we HAVE to get out of here. There's no water. There's no food ... at least none that WE like."

"I know! I know, Sarah! I'm not stupid. Stop nagging me!"

Sarah Sparrow is silent for a while, but she just can't keep quiet forever. 

"Sam, I TOLD you half an hour ago we should have stopped and asked for directions."

"SARAH!"

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Sam and Sarah Sparrow had a big problem. They were made for the outdoors where they could find food and water. They were made for open spaces where they could stretch their wings and fly. Perhaps they had a nest full of little Sparrows waiting for them back in their tree who needed their parents to come home with dinner.

Somehow or other, they had made a wrong turn and ended up in an environment for which they were not suited. No food. No water. No open spaces. No way to get back home. The door they had accidentally flown through was shut.

If they were to find their way out any time soon, they needed help. Of course, real sparrows can't ask anyone to open the door for them. They certainly can't open the door themselves. Nor are they likely to be calm and reasoning enough to just wait by the door until someone happened to open it. The open door, though, is exactly what they need

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Sometimes, we find ourselves in a similar situation. We were made for freedom. We were made for unhindered relationship with our Creator. We were made for the green pastures and still waters of Psalm 23. 

Somewhere along the line, though, we make a wrong turn. Right now, I am not talking about the BIG detour of sin in general - the detour that requires the saving act of Jesus on the cross to bring us into a relationship with our Heavenly Father.

I am talking to those of us who already know Jesus as Savior, but find ourselves stuck in an environment for which we were not made. It is arid, lonely, very little nourishment, and no apparent way out. 

• The detour may have happened when we allowed the busy-ness of life crowd out time with our Jesus, and now we are beyond weary.
• Perhaps we got off track when we chose to explode with hurtful words in reaction to the same from another. 
• Maybe we lost our way when we refused to forgive someone who hurt us, instead allowing bitterness and resentment to fester in our hearts. 
• It could be that we deliberately chose to head down a path in life that we KNEW wasn't right, but appeared too much "fun" to resist.

No matter what caused us to get off track, we find ourselves trapped. We try with all our might to find our way out of the mess, but nothing works. The door remains closed.

Sam and Sarah Sparrow don't have the ability to seek out the help they need.  We do. God's Word shows us the way out.

• Are we stuck because we were too busy? Jesus says, "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
• Are we trapped because we have hurt another? Matthew 5:23 urges us, "If you ... remember that your brother or sister has something against you, ... go and be reconciled to them."
• If we find ourselves in inhospitable places because we have allowed bitterness and resentment to take root, God's Word provides this open door. "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." Ephesians 4:32
• If perhaps we deliberately chose the wrong path and now find ourselves in the desert, we find an open door in 1 John 1:9. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

Whatever the reason we may be stuck in a spiritual environment that was never meant for us, we need an open door to get back home. 

The Holy Spirit reminds us of what God's Word says. He calls to us, "This is the way.  Here's the open door. This is the way home."

The big question is, once we see the way out, will we fly through the open door?

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Where are you today? In the wide open spaces or stuck in a place for which you were not designed. What is God saying to you? Has he shown you the open door? Will you fly through it today? 

Do you have any other thoughts to add. If so, please share a comment, and we can encourage each other. 

(Clip art adapted from  http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/results.aspx?qu=sparrows&ex=1 )