AAOABAWFAYT // exactly // Principle of the Path review

Though some of my recent posts have been about books and have been a part of the “An Average of a Book a Week for a Year Tour,” the books I was reading were part of blog tours by those authors. Somehow I managed to get them read and posted on time. I’m now back to the books that I want to read, and the latest was Andy Stanley’s, “The Principle of the Path.”

Andy has this uncanny ability to take the simplest ideas and make them profound. I usually find myself reading his books thinking, “I don’t know why this has never made sense before, but I know that I would not have realized that on my own, nor will my life be the same after reading it.”

So, the principle of the path is, “direction–not intention–determines destination.” And while it would be highly beneficial for you to read the entire book and let Andy flesh the idea out for you completely, I’ll give you a little slice of what I learned as I read.

Basically, you can have the best intentions in the world, but in reality (the place where we all actually live), intentions get you no where. Its like this. A few months back I took my friend Scott Fillmer home and then was headed back to my place. I had every intention of going straight home and not getting lost, but it was the first time I had been to his house. Though my intentions were good, I missed a turn and wound up some place completely different. Fortunately for me, I’m decent with directions, and was able to go back to where I had missed the turn and get myself home. But you see, my intentions didn’t help me out in the least bit. The road or path I was on, led me to my destination which just so happened to be…lost.

We can all agree that the principle of the path applies to our driving, because it just makes sense. But what we’re unwilling to admit, is that the same principle applies across the board to every area of our life. Relationships, finances, education, spiritual growth, etc, etc, are all affected by this principle.

Andy gives some great examples to help you understand this (and I’ll give you the one that hit me pretty hard and contextualize for my situation): The Believer says I want to grow deeper in my relationship with God so I’ll get up at 5:00am every day….but then he reads through blogs and thinks about what he’s going to write for the day rather than being buried in intimate time with the Father.

Here are a couple other ones Andy dropped: A couple says, “We’d like our children to develop a personal relationship with God and choose friends who have done the same”…but then they skip church and head to the lake every weekend.” Or, “A married couple determines to be financially secure by the time they reach their parents age (or any couple across the board really)…then adopt a lifestyle sustained by debt and leveraged assets.”

Whatever road you’re on, your destination is clearly marked, no matter what intentions you have. And don’t think you’re going to be the exception to the rule. Of the billions that have been on this planet, maybe two have been the exception, but not in every area of their life. This principle applies across the board, so while you may win the lottery and you “escape” the principle of the path in the financial area, you still have every other area to worry about (that was Andy’s illustration).

You may be thinking like I did, “Andy, that’s so simple. I get it. You’re right. This is crazy, but I recognize that no matter how good my intentions are, the road I’m on, the path I’m taking has a destination and I’m headed toward it based on my decisions and my actions.”

So, my question is, if it makes so much sense, and we all “get it,” why don’t we live like it?

Direction, not intention, determines destination.