The Serenity PrayerSample

How to straighten our crooked paths

“… trusting that the Lord will make all things right if I surrender to His will …”

Today, we will reflect on how to straighten our crooked paths, trusting that the Lord will do so if we surrender our lives to His will. The critical text is Proverbs 3:5-6, which teaches us to trust in the Lord with all our heart, not relying on our ability and understanding. For God to correct our paths, we must adopt an attitude of faith and submission to Him.

Crooked paths arise when we seek shortcuts or choose what is easier and more convenient instead of doing what is right. Often, we prefer the immediate gratification that sin offers, resulting in hasty decisions, impulsive reactions, and irresponsible choices.

To correct these deviations, we must adopt three practical attitudes:

1. Trust in the Lord: A lack of trust in God often leads us down crooked paths. We sin because we believe that sin will satisfy our desires and longings. However, these promises are deceptive and distance us from true satisfaction, which can only be found in God. Trusting in the Lord means believing He is good and that His promises are better than those of sin.
2. Do not rely on your own understanding: We should plan and act responsibly, but without relying solely on our own wisdom and ability. Our perspective is limited, whereas God’s is perfect. Therefore, we must seek His guidance and trust in Him rather than relying only on ourselves.
3. Acknowledge the Lord in all your ways: We should live with a constant awareness of God’s presence, seeking His will in every area of our lives. By acknowledging the Lord in our decisions and actions, we allow Him to restore and straighten what is crooked in our journey.

God is the one who straightens our paths as we surrender our lives to Him, trusting in His direction and goodness.

Prayer: Lord, help me to trust in You with all my heart, to not lean on my own wisdom, and to acknowledge Your presence in all my ways. Straighten my life according to Your will. Amen.