Regret comes from giving in to something that had a strong emotional appeal.

Then something strange happened. Whatever it was lost its appeal.

You had to have it, but now, you don’t even know where it is anymore. You wanted it so bad, then you couldn’t wait to sell it. All you could think about was getting in, then you couldn’t wait to get out. You couldn’t wait to get together, then you couldn’t wait for them to be gone.

What were you thinking? It was so appealing at first, but for some reason, it lost its appeal. In some cases, what began as appealing over time became a prison. What started out as a pastime became a pathway for your life. Now, it seems you are unable to get off of the path. It has turned out to be poison.

There is a principle at work here. A principle isn’t necessarily something you apply. A principle applies itself to you. You may choose not to stick with it, but it will still stick with you. You can’t get away from a principle.

“The Principle of the Path” states that direction, not intention, determines our destination. The best way to predict your future is to pay attention to the path you’re on. We know this is true when it comes to driving and hiking and walking and running.

Somehow, we forget that it applies to finances, dating, morality, marriage, parenting, work and basically every other aspect of life, as well. The direction of your life will ultimately determine your destination. The path you are on in life is a path that is taking you someplace. You will always end up where the path takes you.

That is why it is so important to choose the right path. There is often a big disconnect between where we intend to end up and the path that were on. Remember, intention does not determine our destination in life. Direction always determines destination. This is a big deal.

It is important to understand that certain paths should be avoided because of their strong emotional appeal. Newer, faster, bigger, better isn’t always better. We all know there are many paths in life that have a strong emotional appeal.

It might be fair to say the wrong path is almost always paved with strong emotional attachment. Otherwise, you wouldn’t choose it. The problem is that emotionally appealing things lower our defenses while raising our defensiveness. We’ll talk more about that next time.

Steve Greene is the lead pastor of The Point in Seymour. Read his blog at pastorgreene.wordpress.com or email him at [email protected]. Send comments to [email protected].