Recently somebody brought to church some big cardboard boxes that had been folded flat. They’re going to be used for decorating for vacation Bible school. We wanted them downstairs. Sliding them down the staircase seemed a whole lot more fun than carrying them down. The thought of riding the cardboard down the stairs was considered. There have been times when I maybe would have done that. Doing those things when I was a kid resulted in me having to explain to my mom how I got the bruise and why it was the same shape as the indentation on the wall. This time I looked down at the pretty solid door to the furnace room that is close to the bottom of the stairs and thought it would maybe be best to just slide the cardboard down the stairs without a rider.

Too often in life we don’t look ahead to consider what might result from our decisions and where things might end. Sometimes the beginning looks fun so we hop on the ride without thinking about where it’s going. The Bible says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12). Some rides start fun but they don’t end well.

It is hard for us to know how things are going to end. It’s great to know that God knows. He sees ahead to the ending. He is aware if there is trouble up ahead. Sometimes I have started down a path and it seemed like God was putting obstacles in my way that frustrated me. Looking back I can see that God was being gracious. He has stopped me from making some bad decisions I wanted to make and got in the way of me going on rides that would have ended in disaster. The Lord has graciously protected me from me.

The Bible assures us that “God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything” (I John 3:20). He knows if a decision we’re about to make will lead to danger. He knows if the path we’re on is full of potholes and problems. He knows how to guide us and protect us. He knows which direction leads to trouble and which one leads to joy. He knows when it’s okay to hop on that ride and when we shouldn’t. We can trust in God’s loving and wise care.