The Lord has blessed me with a wonderful place to walk in our new neighborhood. It’s one of the things that I have thanked Him for over and over since we moved. The road has just enough hills to let me know I’ve accomplished something, and enough flats that allow me to enjoy the beautiful scenery.
I like to walk two miles a day, which means I need to walk one mile and then turn around and head for home. Exactly at the mile mark begins the white picket fence of my neighbors.
I can see the fence from quite a distance, knowing all the while that I’m going to turn around there. But something peculiar happens as I get closer to my turning around place. I begin to wonder, “How exactly should I turn around?”
Should I just pivot quickly and matter-of-factly? Should I walk in a semi-circle and make a wide u-turn? Should I prop against the fence first and then casually wander back in the other direction? I mean, someone could be watching me that I’m not aware of. Is it going to look foolish if they see me stop abruptly and take off in the other direction?
There’s an awkwardness that overtakes me at this point. Every time. Like I said, it’s peculiar. After all, this IS my turning around place. I could keep going and often I want to. But if I do, I might not have enough energy to get home.
In this journey called life, we all come to a Turning Around Place. We know it’s coming, but when we get there, how do we go about turning around from actions, attitudes and attractions that are taking us in the wrong direction? Who’s watching? What will they think?
Who cares? If this is your Turning Around Place, TURN AROUND. It doesn’t matter so much whether it’s gracefully done. What matters is that you get going in the direction of home.
