by Victoria Heinecke

The way to go.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

We have a family motto, spoken in German: “Always straight ahead.” When my husband was an exchange student in West Germany, a walking tour guide kept telling the students, “Never to the left, never to the right, always straight ahead.” Through the crossroad periods of our lives, we have sounded this cheer to plow forward and tackle life bravely.

However, what if the path no longer goes straight ahead? What if there are multiple options: take the left or the right? What are the consequences of each decision?

Sometimes, choices can be paralyzing.

When we moved to Colorado, there were so many things to consider, such as buying a house and choosing schools and church. What would happen to our relationships in Michigan when we leave? What would we miss if we stayed?

We said we could go back to Michigan if it was the wrong decision, but over the years God has revealed to us that we are meant to be in Colorado. Our temporary decision has stuck for thirty years.

“When the days drew near for him to be taken up, (Jesus) set his face to go to Jerusalem.“
Luke 9:51 NRSV

Jesus had one path. There were no choices – no forks in the road, no signs to point the way. He knew the way, and that was to the Cross to save everyone from the wages of their sin. Fully human like us, he prayed fervently to his father, asking if there was any other way, and fully God, he knew it was to be.

God’s word is filled with teachings on how to live a life in harmony with one another, along with stories of the consequences of ungodly choices. While we can never be as perfect as Jesus, we are encouraged to live our lives in imitation of his.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— ”
Ephesians 2:8 NRSV

May the love and grace of God rest on you in the decisions you make each day.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado