Dead Ends New Beginnings

" When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my fathere and say to him" Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men' So he got up and went to his father."

Luke 15:17-20

Not all obstacles are put in our way be others; we create a fair amount of obstacles on our own. Like the prodigal on, we to seek to grab out inheritance and go our own way. Eventually, though, we end up in a dead-end situation, with no apparent way out. Worse, we realize that we had the major part in arriving at that situaton.

But with every self-made obstacle, we can make a decision whether or not to "stay stuck"

To escape our dead end, we must do like the prodigal son: First, recognized when we've come to the end of our resources. Second, come to your senses, a pigpen is a good place to help you come to your senses. Next, make a decision, the prodigal son also planned his approach. And at the core of his plan he accepted full responsibility: "I have sinned," No defenses, and no excuses.

Decisions motivate to action.

We have been like this wayward son. We've gotten ourselves into some hard situations and found ourselves all alone, with no one to blame. We've had to retrace our steps and go back to ask for reconciliation. Its hard to do, but we've always been glad that we did. Now we can honestly thank God, who was waiting for us on the pathway home, for each obstacle that has brought us to our senses and given us a chance for a new beginning.

Question for thought:

What dead ends have you faced in your life?

What dead end threatens you right now?