Changing Directions

One summer when my kids and I were in Colorado on vacation, we saw three moose in a field by the side of Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park. We pulled over, along with several other cars, and watched the majestic creatures for almost an hour ... two females and a male, happily munching on grass near a beautiful mountain stream. That afternoon began my infatuation with all things moose, and I've collected quite an assortment of moosey items down through the years. Some of the items I've purchased, and others have been given to me as gifts. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love moose. My dream house would be a log cabin ... decorated, of course, with lots and lots of moose accents and accessories.

One of my favorite pieces of moose paraphernalia is a metal weather vane that rests atop a 4-foot pole in the ground next to my deck. It has a moose on the very top, and a spinning wheel with the directions of north, south, east and west attached. I bought the weather vane at a crafts fair in Arkansas ... our women's ministry from my church took a weekend trip to several crafts fairs there many years ago. That particular trip was extra profitable for me in the moose arena ... I bought the weather vane that stands in my yard, a moose key rack that is attached to a wall in my kitchen, and a gorgeous pencil drawing of a moose head that hangs behind my bed in my room. And each time I look at any of those three items, I remember how much fun we had together that weekend.

I was sitting on my deck this afternoon working on some notes for two upcoming speaking events when my moose weather vane caught my attention. The weather vane never really worked ... the wheel that in theory would spin in the wind actually inched more than it spun. It doesn't matter to me that it doesn't function as it should; I like the way it looks ... weathered and worn, and of course, with a moose standing guard on the top. As I gazed at the weather vane, I began thinking about directions ... I've never been good at determining which way was which according to the compass. When someone gives me instructions on how to get somewhere, I always ask them to define the turns by right or left rather than by north, south, east or west.

The longer I looked at the weather vane, the more I thought about directions in life and how often I've struggled to figure out which way I should be traveling. I couldn't help but think about how awesome it would be to have a weather vane for my heart ... one that never failed to point me in the right direction. And then I realized that I do ... I have the one Compass that is always accurate and true ... one that always leads me where I should go. As I stood up to go inside and fix myself some food, I was struck with a thought ... maybe it's time to change directions, maybe it's time to walk a different path, maybe it's time to make a turn and go a different way.

"May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ." 2 Thessalonians 3:5