If you don’t know where you’re going, any route will take you there.

To this point, we’ve talked about chastity, about getting fit, about developing a work ethic and about perseverance — all oriented toward actions you can take to improve your future.  But what if your past is holding you back?.  I mean, what if you’ve totally blown it?  Is there a way to start over, or is it better just to embrace the suck?

Blazes or Fakes?
On established hiking trails, there are blazes — painted rectangular marks roughly the size of an iPhone — appearing on tree trunks about every tenth of a mile.  Each trail in a given region has its own blaze color to help hikers follow the correct trail and avoid getting lost.

On one particular backpacking trip, my son and I were hiking at twilight, trying to make it to our planned campsite.  The trail we were on was marked with white blazes.  If you haven’t seen them, white blazes as they age can resemble fungi that grow on tree bark.

We were on a challenging and little-used section of this particular trail, battling overgrowth and the fading light.  When we didn’t see a blaze at the correct interval, we became concerned that we had mistaken patches of lichen for blazes.  Despite the topographical map and compass we had with us, it was an uncomfortable feeling to say the least.

Young scouts are taught that if they’re lost, they are to stay put and wait for their fellow scouts to find them.  That is excellent advice for lost members of groups.  It’s a little different when the entire group may have taken a game trail by mistake.

We carefully retraced our steps looking for blazes.  (When a blaze appears on one side of a tree, there should be a corresponding blaze on the opposite side so the trail is marked in both directions.)  Finding blazes on the section we were on would confirm that we were indeed on the trail and not  lost.  We counted our steps to ensure we accounted for 175-yard chunks.  Happily for us, we found where we went wrong and reacquired the trail, being careful to mind the blazes and to look back for confirmation if a blaze wasn’t apparent in front of us.

So what should you do if you’re lost — not on a trail, but in your life?

1. Recognize your condition
   First, determine whether or not you’re on the right path.  Adversity itself doesn’t mean you’re on the wrong trail.  Even the right route can be steep, narrow and rocky — even dangerous — but we were made for this.If you are on the wrong trail, here are some questions to help you sort it out:  Do you know what the right path looks like, or where it goes?  What is the nature of your problem —  Are you afraid? Ashamed? Guilt-ridden?  Unmotivated? Addicted?

   My friends in the Recovery Movement say that admitting you have a problem is the first step toward solving it.  I would add that if you can name it, you can begin to fix it.

2. Retrace your steps
   If you’ve lost the trail, you may want to take the time to determine how you got there.  VERY IMPORTANT: You must not blame anyone but yourself for your own choices.  This is a critical part of being a man — owning your decisions and facing the consequences.So ask yourself: What are the consequences of staying on your current course?  Where will that take you in a year? Five years? When you’re old?  What would you think of a character in a movie who followed that path?

   Go deeper.  Was there advice you ignored?  Was there a critical decision you took rashly? Is there a relationship you took for granted?  Are there friends or allies whose help you failed to appreciate? Is it still possible to restore or repair what was lost?

3. Reacquire the trail
   When you’ve identified the right trail, commit to it and start moving in the right direction.  Expect it to be uncomfortable at first.  Expect skepticism and even outright opposition from those you may have hurt.  But be open to the encouragement that will also come your way.  Some days, the only reward is the knowledge that you’re on the right path. But that can keep you going for another day, so it’s good.

   Let’s face it: Some consequences are final.  But where possible, reacquiring the trail involves attempting reconciliation.  As you contemplate the appropriate actions, recognize that apologizing and attempting to repair what has been damaged is no guarantee that all will be as it was before.  If I amputate your leg, my apologizing does not restore your lost leg.Also, note that an apology does not obligate anyone to grant forgiveness or to resume a business relationship or a friendship.  Likewise, I may forgive someone for an offense, but I do not have to put myself in position to let it happen again.

4. Reach up.
   The ultimate remedy for guilt, shame and brokenness is to come home to your Father in Heaven.  He designed your life and He has made a way for you to be forgiven through His son, Jesus Christ.  More on this later.

So how about you?  How are you navigating through your life?   What tools have you found helpful?  Add your comments below.