Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6, N.K.J.V.)

A husband and wife hitched their r.v. camper to their truck and loaded up their three young boys for a camping trip. Arriving at the campsite, the couple sent the boys off to play while they set up camp. The boys happily agreed to the deal, the only limitation being that they wouldn’t get out of the mother’s site.

An hour of hard work passed, with the mother periodically checking to make sure the boys were still where she could see them. With her chores just about finished, she looked out the camper window and saw that the boys were all lying on their stomachs in a circle. They were all engrossed with whatever was inside that circle, but she couldn’t see what it was.

A little bit of worry crept into her as she opened the camper door and hollered, “Boys, what are you looking at?” The boys responded by each rolling over onto their sides, thus creating a line of sight for the mother to see the nest of baby skunks they had been playing with for some time. Horrified, the mother screamed, “RUN TO THE CAMPER, BOYS! RUN!” And run they did, each one carrying a baby skunk by the tail.

Sometimes our logical solution to a situation isn’t the right one. As a matter of fact, sometimes our logic can make a situation even worse. That’s why our text passage flatly tells us not to lean on our own understanding. As that mother found out that day, the problem is that many times we simply don’t have all the information required to choose the correct course of action.

As you read this, are you dealing with a situation the solution for which seems obvious to you? If so, I beg of you not to rush too hastily into that course of action. Pray about the matter. Get God’s opinion concerning it. Ask Him to show you His will about what you should do, and then commit yourself fully to doing that will. It’s only by trusting in Him with all your heart, acknowledging His perfect wisdom, and setting your own logic aside that you can allow Him to direct your paths. Anything less than that and you might just end up with a camper full of baby skunks.