Path Principle

Direction not Intention determines our Destination.

This is Andy Stanley's Path Principle. It seems like a nice little statement that we can say "Oh yeah, absolutely!" and then just go on about our day. But I think it deserves a second glance and that's exactly why I'm blogging about it and didn't just tweet it!

Matthew and I were talking about this yesterday, and he explained it to me the way it was explained to him. So I'll try my best to explain it here! I'll do this by giving the example he gave to me. Let's say that Matthew and I wanted to go on a beach vacation soo bad. We planned it all out, what all we were going to do and on which days. We packed our swim suits and sunscreen and got the car all loaded with our things and we set out on the road that very same day. The only problem is that we start traveling down the highway that leads to Wyoming instead of Florida. Even though we want that beach vacation so bad, and we're all prepared to spend our time there, we're traveling the wrong direction we'll never get to experience the thing we've set our hearts on.

The same can be said for a number of real life situations. I love all things heart shaped so I'll correspond it with the relationship aspect of this. If you desire a good, true relationship with all of your heart you need to do more than just want, think about, and pray for it. You need to travel down the road that will lead you to it. The bible tells us that apart from God there is no such thing as love. God is love. In order to have your direction match your intention, you must seek the number one lover in existence first. Through forming a deep intimate relationship with the Lord (the perfect direction) you will find the person He's created for you. (Your desired destination!) The Path Principle can be applied to so many other things like planning for the future, seeking God's will in your life, and even mundane things like doing well in school.

I pray that God will burn this onto my heart so that I will learn to become more and more aware of it each day. I want this to be true in my life and I hope it will be true in yours too! :)