Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go.

Joshua 1:7 NASB

I took my dogs for a rare afternoon walk on the last day of January. Most Minnesota January winters are icy and below zero. On this day, we had to avoid puddles. My dogs--ages two and almost ten months--are adequate loose-leash walkers. Three-quarters of the time, they saunter side-by-side. Yet, occasionally, one or both decide to cross in front or behind me. The result is a mock scolding and an untangling from their master.

This illustration applies directly to the word direction. Some times I am walking at a side-by-side saunter with God. I am in His will and enjoying the beauty of the world around me. Other times, I stop. I weave in front. I get behind. I want to race ahead. I become distracted by something off the path. I focus too much on something on the path until I trip over something else.

In those moments, I get a redirection back to discipline as He untangles my ways to be in tandem with Him.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6 NASB