Testing the Waters

We go about our lives from day, putting one foot in front of the other and moving forward. However, the obstacles we encounter along the way often prevent us from traveling in a straight line, much like the trees in a forest. Those little detours we take can, over time, begin to confound our navigation. So it is that when we pause to take our bearings, we often discover that our course was slightly off and we've ended up in a different place that we expected, or we're not the people we thought we would be. Those can be frustrating moments. Yet, no matter how far we may have deviated from our intended course, our lives are never set in stone. Wherever we are, whoever we are, we always have the opportunity to take new bearings and set off in the right direction. The catch is that we have to stop and look around once in a while to confirm who and where we are. Sometimes a wrong turn can actually lead to something better, but when it doesn't we need only take a "right" turn towards the direction we desire. Some people live their whole lives without reconsidering these things. The wonderful thing about life, though, is that each day brings an endless series of second chances. Take the time to reevaluate things once in a while and pray for the courage to change your course if it will help you to become the person you know you must be. Even the slightest change in direction can often make a world of difference.

Testing the Waters
Sometimes we need to take a step back
From the daily routine we live in
So we can review our purpose and goals
Without life getting under our skin
We make so many choices throughout each day
That a week or a month or a year
Can lead us to places we hadn't intended
And far from the things we hold dear
So often our hearts can get dragged along
When they should have held fast to the helms
Yet, our senses are dulled by the here and now
And the way that it overwhelms
Then we wake up one morning and find
We are people we never intended to be
With commitments which bind us to our course
And we can't find a way to break free
So we need to pull over and cling to the edge
Every once in a while, it would seem
To test the currents and make sure that we
Still desire to be in the main stream
If we don't, we are liable to be swept away
From the purpose that burned in our hearts
Which we may have chosen or been chosen for
Without the courage to make a fresh start
But it's never too late, never too late
To resuscitate purpose and dreams
If they are important enough to be saved
From the depths of the world and its schemes
For there is nothing more tragic than wasting a life
On mere comfort and vanity
While it can still rise up and count for
The people and the things which we truly believe
Indeed, a life without passion or purpose or fire
Is one that the world can forget
But a life which counts for something worthwhile
Is one still worthy of living yet
By Frank Carpenter ©