Color code

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." (Isaiah 30:21 NIV)

YNo city in the developed world could function without traffic lights. Drivers choose to exercise self-control, and follow their instructions: stopping for red, exercising caution for amber (yellow), going for green. Following the simple color code increases everyone’s chances of reaching their destination safely. Just so in life.

- Red light: What would God want me to stop doing? Is there a sin, a bad habit? Perhaps it’s smoking or overeating; perhaps it’s playing computer games late into the night; perhaps it’s snapping impatiently at a family member or coworker…
Dear God, help me to be aware of the red lights in my life, to stop what is not helping me or others or pleasing You.

- Amber light: It is not always possible to know the outcome of our decisions. That’s part of the mystery of life. What we can do is exercise caution, weigh up the options, consider the consequences, and pray for God’s guidance.
Dear God, please help me to be cautious. Give me guidance to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You.

-  Green light: Green light. It’s time to go. There’s a lot of “going” in the Gospel narrative. The disciples are sent out preaching and teaching. Jesus Himself stayed on the move. God calls us to activity. Our response to the needs around us should not be merely sympathy, but action.
Dear God, help me not to hold back when it’s time for action. Help me to go forward in faith. Amen.

The strength and happiness of a man consists in finding out the way in which God is going, and going in that way, too. - Henry Ward Beecher (1813–1887)

[1] Activated Traffic Lights