Many Roads Traveled but One Not Lost

By Melanie Nally

What to expect from Many Roads Traveled but One Not Lost. We all have a story to tell in life, and each story consists of roads that were traveled down in order to get to where you are now. In this book, you will embark on the many roads that Melanie has taken and the life lessons that she has learned from the decisions that she made on each road. As she shares her lessons with you, she references the Word of God to help build your faith and steer you toward the road that is never lost, the road less traveled, God's road. You will read about her life from childhood to her adulthood and the struggles along the way for not only her, but also her family members involved. Do you feel a calling in your life? This book will address the calling that Melanie felt in her life and the strength she draws from God to continue to fulfill that calling. As a teenager, Melanie felt God called her to unconditionally love her mother. Now this might seem easy for some, but in this case, there were tests that needed to be passed and challenges that she had to face on a daily basis. When we are called to love unconditionally as God loves, sometimes, that is the biggest challenge in our lives. But for Melanie, love was not demonstrated to her by the ones in life who should have shown it to her the most. That left her confused. In the end, God is always there for you as He was for her.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 10, 2019
• ISBN: 9781644926727

Book preview

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Many Roads Traveled but One Not Lost

Melanie J. Nally

ISBN 978-1-64492-670-3 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64492-672-7 (digital)

Copyright © 2019 by Melanie J. Nally

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

For where two or three are gathered in My name,

there am I with them.

—Matthew 18:20

Preface

How do we find the right road to take in life? That is one of life’s biggest questions we ask ourselves from time to time. Isn’t it? When we think about this question, it is often paired with many other complicated questions, such as do we follow our heart to find life’s answers? or do we think about all our options? settling upon an option or follow the options to the T. There are many different roads you can take in life. One option most of us don’t consider is the fact that there is someone or something more powerful than all the above that knows best for us. I have found throughout the years that the first few questions asked always lead me down my roads, which often led to a dead end.

Follow your heart, everybody suggests, but when I did that, my heart deceived me the most. As the Bible states, The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt: who can know [understand] it? (Jer. 17:9). When I let my heart lead me, instead of me leading my heart, I ended up in more heartache and pain. We never realize how corrupt or deceived our hearts are until it’s too late to make a U-turn. Then we just have to face our choices and the consequences that come with them, leaving the heart with more corruption. I’m sure you can relate with me when I say this. I believe we have all been there before from following our hearts.

Don’t get me wrong. Following your heart can lead to fulfilled dreams and take you down the path of happiness also, but you must use caution when following just your heart. Make sure the Holy Spirit is also leading you.

When we try to think about the best way, it only gives us so many choices or exit ramps if you will that we get lost and confused taking the wrong ramp out of feeling rushed or emotional. Have you ever been there? You are driving to an unfamiliar location and you have to follow directions, but the directions seem wrong and the ramp is coming up. You don’t know whether to take it or keep going. Before you know it, you took the wrong ramp because you didn’t follow the directions, instead you went off your feelings leading you into the total opposite direction. Now you have lost time and have to reroute yourself. Or it’s like being lost in a maze; it only leads to confusion and frustration.

I have found it isn’t wise to take your own life in your own hands. Its best left in the hands of the one who created us. He is Our Creator, our savior, our father, our author, and should be our everything! We don’t know what’s best for our lives, but He does. God will always be with us if we ask Him. We can make our plans, but the Lord directs our steps (Prov. 16:9).

I have let him be everything to me over the years, everything but my Leader. I have found the hard way that this is one of the most important titles He wants to keep in our lives. I have tried to lead Him, which just doesn’t work. He wants to carry us down His Road. The one He already has planned for us; a life of abundance, happiness, joy, peace, love, and fulfillment beyond our own imagination, but you have to be willing to let Him take the reins. He will not force Himself on you; he’s a gentleman among many other magnificent characteristics. He will wait for you, but He also wants you to wait for Him.

Wait for the Lord be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord (Ps. 27:14).

Have you ever heard of the golden rule? Treat others the way you want to be treated. God put it this way in Matthew 7:12, So in everything do to others what you would have them do to you for this sums up the law and prophets. He wants to hear you say, Lord, here I am. I surrender my will for yours. I accept your plans not my own, I will do as you say, not tell you what to do, and I will go where you lead me. When you do this, He can work with you to not only do His will but fulfill your deepest heart’s desires. He will answer desires that are in your heart you didn’t even know you had. He promises in Psalm 37:4–5: Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass. Wow, what a promise from God. I know He will fulfill your desires as well as mine because He’s also a man of His word, a man of integrity. Numbers 23:19 spells it out this way, God is not a man that He should Lie, Nor a Son of man that He should change His mind.

The Bible says He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to