A man on a cruise said something to us that could help YOU make better life decisions, too

Once, my family and I were in line to get off a cruise ship. We were the “crazy family” on the cruise who brought our three small children with us, so nearly every time we had a conversation with someone, they’d see our kids and say, “Oh, they’re so cute. That makes me wish we had brought our kids.” But, then as soon as they were a few steps away, you’d hear them say under their breath, “Those people are CRAZY!” I would laugh and nod in agreement with them.

As we were exiting the ship, we had been standing in a long line of frustrated, sunburned tourists for what seemed like an eternity when a fellow passenger came up and started telling people that they were in the wrong line. He said, “I’ve been to where they’re letting people off and it’s right downstairs. All of you are waiting in the wrong place.”

Most people ignored him, but a few of us left the line to see if he was right and it turned out, he was! We got right off the ship while the rest of those folks kept waiting in a dead end line.

In life, there are many times you will come to a crossroads and face the decision of whether you should stay on the road you’ve been traveling or turn in a new direction. What we do in those moments will ultimately determine the course of our relationships, our successes, our failures and our lives. These decisions are tricky, because often, the well-worn path with many travelers is actually the wrong one.

I’ve reflected back on the reasons why those folks stayed in the wrong line and I think there are a few. They either didn’t want to admit that they had been wrong and the time they had spent in line was wasted OR they assumed that just because they were with the majority, then they must be heading in the right direction. Those same false assumptions keep people traveling down the wrong roads in life everyday.

When you come to a crossroads in life, here a few ways to make sure you take the right path:

1. Follow your convictions, not your feelings.

I’ve seem many people walk away from their marriages or other “good paths” because their “feelings” led them someplace else. Your feelings will betray you if you always follow them. They’re fickle, but your convictions should be solid. Follow your principles and your feelings will usually catch up eventually.

2. Swallow your pride.

Many folks will spend their whole lives running the wrong direction simply because they’re too proud to admit their might be a better way. Pride usually leads to destruction, so be humble enough to change course.

3. Trust God.

God is the ultimate GPS. He’s the only one who has never been lost, and if you trust Him and use the Bible as your roadmap, you’ll end up where you need to be. When you’re following Jesus, you’re always headed in the right direction!

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” –Robert Frost (“The Road Not Taken”)

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” –Jesus (Matthew 7:13-14)