One Turn at a Time

Read: Matthew 6:25-34

“Mrs. Melton sure is going to like the dinner we’re taking to her,” Kehlani said, buckling her seat belt and peeking at the rolls under the bread cloth.

Mom smiled. “I think so too. Her hands must be full with the new baby.”

Kehlani put both hands firmly on the warm bowl of rolls. “Mom, will I have a baby when I grow up?”

“I don’t know, honey,” Mom replied. “Only God knows that.”

“But I want to know. I want Him to tell me now.” Kehlani stared glumly out the window as they approached a stop sign.

“Turn right at the next intersection,” said a voice on Mom’s phone, and Mom did as instructed.

“Didn’t we pass the library the last time we drove to the Meltons’?” Kehlani asked, twisting in her seat to look back at the intersection. “Is the map on your phone wrong?”

“No. It knows where it’s taking us,” Mom assured her. “The Meltons moved to a new house last month, remember?”

“Oh yeah, I forgot.” Kehlani leaned back. “Good thing your phone knows where to go. It tells you each direction just when you need it.”

Mom nodded. “It’s a little like what God does. He directs each turn in our lives—just one turn at a time.”

“But how does He give directions?” asked Kehlani. “Through the Bible?”

“Yes, often through the Bible,” Mom replied. “And sometimes He uses other things to point us in the right direction. Like…a phone call telling us someone is in the hospital might also tell us to pray for that person or go visit them.”

“Turn left,” the voice broke in.

“When I’m driving, I don’t need to know all the turns right away. All I need is the next turn,” said Mom. “We don’t need to know all the turns in life either. We just need to remember that God will reveal each next turn in His perfect time. He’s our heavenly Father who sent His own Son to die for us and make us His children, and we can trust Him to guide us through all of life’s turns.”

Kehlani grinned as the car wheels crunched on a gravel driveway. “I think I know my next turn—taking these rolls in to Mrs. Melton!”

–Laura Raborn

How about you? Do you wonder what kind of job you’ll have when you grow up? Or where you’ll live? Or who your friends will be? God knows every detail of your future, but you don’t have to know it all now. What direction does He have for you today? Is it to help out at church, or to be there for a friend in need? Trust Him to show the turns you should take, one by one.

Today’s key verse: Do not worry about tomorrow. Matthew 6:34 (NKJV)

Today’s key thought: Trust God for life’s next step