When We Almost Missed It…

Yesterday took us to Invergordon and Inverness, Scotland — and oh, what a day it turned out to be!

BUT, we almost missed it!

We were sitting in the World Stage auditorium aboard the MS Nieuw Statendam, waiting for our excursion group to be called. We had our little round sticker — #25 — ready to board our bus to Inverness, about an hour away.

We were excited. Expectant. Ready for beauty.

Then we stepped off the ship — and without even noticing, we followed the crowd. The wrong crowd! YIKES!

Not the signs.
Not the plan.
The crowd.

There were clear directions (seen here) — excursions to the left — town to the right. But we didn’t look. We just went with the flow — to the right.

Ten minutes later, we realized something wasn’t right. These weren’t our buses — just ordinary city buses that were taking the other passengers around Invergordon!

Oh no!!!! We went the wrong way!

Hearts racing, we turned around and hurried back — walking fast, breathing hard, hoping we hadn’t missed it. And by God’s grace –we made it. Just in time.

And oh, what we would have missed……

Rolling hills painted with brilliant yellow fields (rapeseed (oilseed) that is cultivated to produce vegetable oil. We would have missed the majestic churches, castles standing strong through time, the charm of Scottish shops, kilts, and those beautiful accents that make everything sound poetic.

It was breathtaking.
And I couldn’t help but think —
How often do we do that in life?
We follow the crowd instead of the calling.

“Enter through the narrow gate — small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

And then this gentle reminder: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and He will direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Sometimes the wrong turn isn’t the end — it’s just the wake-up call — to turn around, refocus AND get back on the right path.

Note to self — Don’t just follow the crowd — read the signs! 😊
Grateful God redirects us when we wander!