Several weeks ago, my wife and I were slowly maneuvering the disintegrating red brick streets of Athens Ohio, home of Ohio University. Up ahead, I noticed a chubby gray squirrel scampering about, running from one side of the street to the other as if touching imaginary bases on either side of the street. As we approached his invisible playground and slowed a little, the furry rodent got a little skittish and darted toward the closest sidewalk, making a few circles on the concrete squares. Having simply disappeared from our view, I cautiously proceeded down the street. All of a sudden, I heard and felt a little B-bump…B-bump. I looked in my rearview mirror in time to see the lifeless, chubby-no-more suicidal squirrel; my heart sank as I didn’t even see so much as an involuntary flip of the tail.

In life we are often times like that squirrel. For whatever reason, we are so unfocused or preoccupied with the unimportant that when a situation or problem presents itself, we just don’t want to deal with it or we are indecisive; we would rather procrastinate and either put off the inevitable or not make a decision at all (“which side of the street do I want to be on…”). In fact, not making a decision is actually making a not so smart one. And like the demise of that little gray rodent, sometimes if we don’t make a decision, the choice is made for us and the outcome is less than desirable.

For example, what would happen if for whatever reason, you decided not to file your taxes? Not a lot would happen for a while until you received the notice in the mail along with the mention of penalties. Left a little longer, you would be face to face with the word and phrase that work perfectly together in this situation; “convicted” and “tax evasion”.

There is so much in this life that distracts us from what we should be doing in our lives. But we have to fight these distractions and focus in on what is important. When life throws a curve ball at you, stop and listen to what God would have you do in that particular situation. Prayerfully weigh the options available and trust that God is faithful to help you through the circumstances. Many times, hidden blessings are wrapped tightly in the folds of what seems to be an impossible situation. And sometimes our hesitancy in resolving a problem results in lost opportunities or blessings.

And remember to learn from whatever problem, mistake, missed opportunity, or just plain bad luck comes your way. For instance, you probably wouldn’t keep running over the same pot hole time after time when your car went out of alignment the first time you hit it. And I bet you would think twice about being late on that credit card bill after being charged a fifty dollar late fee…at least for a while. And you surely wouldn’t deliberately neglect your spouse or family to the point of emotional pain and separation, right?

Sometimes the hard situations in life are the ones worth fighting for the most. And sometimes, the greater the pain and effort, the greater the reward. But just make sure these efforts are in line with God’s will for your life. For Proverbs 16:25 reads, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death”. Follow God’s leading and His word daily and perhaps you will find life’s “tire tracks” on your back less often.