It Is Not For A Man To Direct His Steps Jeremiah 10:23

"I know, O LORD, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps." Jeremiah 10:23

This is part of a prayer in which Jeremiah asked to be corrected-but not with anger-because in anger God might reduce him to nothing.

I'm thinking that we all need correcting now and then. Some of us more often than others. And some only in certain areas. Some people have no problems with drinking or drugs or any of the 'big' vices but still have problems with 'smaller' things like gossip or eating too many sweets.

It is also hard to know sometimes exactly what God wants. Some things are easy...we know not to commit murder or adultery, and we know not to lie, and we know that stealing is bad.

It is the other things like just how many potato chips is too many? Is it gossip to tell my mother what my friends are up to? Just where does conversation turn into gossip? How much money is it ok to spend on things not actually 'needed' but only 'wanted'?

Which books are really really bad to read and which are ok? Of course pornography is definitely out and anything that incites to hatred but what about many of those young adult books that are so popular these days?

It is not easy to know. And sometimes that 'still small voice' is hard to hear. You have to actually stop and be still. I'm going to have to work on that. I need to listen.