If a wicked person turns away from the wickedness they have committed and does what is just and right, they will save their life. (Ezek. 18:27)
Expanded Passage: Ezekiel 18:27-28
As traveling evangelists, my family spent approximately ten months out of the year on the road. All of us became adept at navigating with Rand McNally road maps (this was before GPS). One day, however, we were thrown for a loop.
We had set out on a highway in Texas, intending to head for Kansas. After several hours of uneventful driving, my dad began to experience a nagging feeling that we were on the wrong road. But a sign verified the correct highway number and calmed his fears – temporarily. Then he had a disconcerting thought: Could I be going the wrong direction on the right road?
That is precisely what had happened. The terrible truth was confirmed when we passed another road sign declaring, “New Mexico – 50 miles.” My dad’s heart sank, but he continued driving the wrong way for an additional twenty minutes anyway. Why? Because it took time for him to muster up the courage to turn around. It was just too far back!
No one goes the wrong way on purpose, and it can feel devastating when we realize our mistakes have moved us in a direction we never intended to go. But things will not be set right by persisting stubbornly on the wrong path. The only way to reach the correct destination is to turn around and head in the right direction.
If you are going the wrong way, turn around!
Laura Hurd is an ordained minister in The Wesleyan Church and holds a master’s degree from Wesley Seminary. She copastors with her husband, Jason, in rural Nebraska.
© 2023 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
