My Way

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”—Proverbs 14:12

My granddaughter has officially entered the terrible twos. To me, it’s the terribly precious twos, but nonetheless, Addi turned two last month. It is every parent’s desire for their children to be healthy and grow to become self-sufficient. Addi is well on her way, at least she thinks so.

Addi is very talkative, and one of her favorite phrases is “By self.” She says it all the time usually with an exclamation point, “By self!” When she is getting out of the car, climbing up or down from the table, eating her food, or carrying her latest, bigger than life toy, Addi exclaims, “By self.” “By self” means I want to do it by myself. I can do it myself. I don’t want your direction or help. Often, the phrase is accompanied by an equally emphatic, “Big one!” “Big one” means I want the entire cookie, the whole piece of fruit or bread. I want to drink from the big glass or hold the entire slice of pie. “By self! Big one!”

Addi’s “By self” attitude is captured for adults in the famous Frank Sinatra song, “I Did It My Way.” Even by briefly hearing the song, we understand it describes the sad and rebellious nature of our culture. The song begins, “And now, the end is near, and so I face the final curtain…I’ll state my case…I did it my way.” It appears the strongest argument for having lived a full life, according to the song and our culture, is by doing it “my way.” We often take the abilities and power God gives us and use them in selfish ways.

God created human beings and gave them dominion over the earth. We were created to take charge. I believe God desires for us to take our God-given abilities and use them to take control of our lives and the situations around us. God gave Adam and Eve one restriction, not to eat “from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Gen.2:17). This God-given power was to be used under God’s rule and lordship.

The book of Proverbs states, “There is a way that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to death” (14:12). We can do things our way, but we usually end up exactly where we don’t want to be. Genesis 3:6 describes the first human act of independence. “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” Can’t you almost hear them saying, “By self.” “I want to do it my way.”

Don’t get me wrong. I believe God wants us to serve Him in unique and creative ways. There are hundreds of open doors and creative paths waiting to be entered within the will of God. God is ready and willing to pour His Holy Spirit into and through us in never-before-imagined ways if we would but surrender to God’s will and way.

Whether it is Frank Sinatra singing “My Way” or precious little Addi demanding, “By self,” we see a desire to live free from control and accountability. God promises to supernaturally open doors and give us a blessed future if we seek to follow Him with all our heart. If we seek first to serve the Lord and His Kingdom, God will give us far more that we can ever get from the world. Do you want to do it your way and end in destruction or will you seek to go God’s way in His love and power and find life, hope and a future?