After a few years of living overseas and studying Chinese, my Canadian friend and I needed a break. A local expat group was hosting a women’s retreat on our island of Taiwan, so we planned to attend. “We can take our car,” I announced bravely. “I’ll drive, and you read the map.”
The map was in Mandarin, but as Julia and I pored over the map, we realized that we recognized the characters on most of the city streets. We both owned a Taiwan driver’s license and knew how to nose into the most congested traffic. This would be a piece of mooncake.
As we left the city limits, the truth dawned that the map was not to scale, and we quickly became lost. After too many turns, we began to disagree on the best way to our destination. Turning around several times, we finally decided this must not be the way to the retreat venue.
We needed a different route.
Confused and shaken, we pulled into a small Taiwanese shop. I opened their door and, in muddled Mandarin, announced, “I am. Late!” (By way of explanation, I could never remember the difference between that word and the one for lost).
Having no idea what I’d just said, two amused men looked up from their mahjong. Their wide grin exposed reddened teeth, stained from Taiwan’s chewing tobacco substitute, beetle nut. I began to panic as they responded in a Chinese dialect I did not understand. Pulling out the map, I tried a signs and wonders approach.
Light dawned, and one of the men smiled and pointed pleasantly. Seeing my blank stare, he motioned me out the door and into my car, where Julia awaited prayerfully. He was on his Vespa scooter within moments, signaling us to follow. For ten of the longest minutes of my life, we twisted up hairpin mountain roads before recognizing the sign we’d been searching for. With a wave, our guide left us at the camp entrance and began his descent, smiling ear to ear.
I visualized this incident as I recently read Jeremiah 6:16. “Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it, and you shall find rest for your souls.” Sometimes, you have to get off the road you are on to find the right one.
On our little excursion in Taiwan, the initial road out of town was necessary for the first part of our journey. But we had to stop and ask for directions for the next leg of our trip. We needed a different route to arrive at our destination.
Have you ever found yourself traveling the same pathway yet looking for different results? Jeremiah reveals that there comes a time when you must pause and stand beside your familiar groove to consider and inquire about an additional road. This alternative path, translated as “ancient” in many versions, is especially poignant in Hebrew. It illustrates a concealed, beaten-down track that extends further than the eye can see in both directions. Visualize a vanishing point that suggests time “out of mind” in both the past and future. Isn’t that the road you desire to walk?
If the pathway you have been traveling seems a dead end, it’s time to step aside for reflection and prayer. Even a road that was perfect for a time may need to be left behind at present. Possibly, God is directing you onto a more narrowed lane with far-reaching influence.
Look again at Jeremiah 6:16. When we pause to ask God questions about our next steps, we will “find rest for (our) souls.” Deep soul satisfaction evidences that we have taken the correct fork in the road. Always walk toward peace.
Remember, all new adventures must point to Jesus Himself. In Christ, returning to the ancient, eternal way provides a “time of refreshing“ (Acts 3:19 NASB). Indeed, He is always THE Way (John 14:6).