When I saw the turquoise shoes in the newspaper ad, I just had to have them. I had several outfits with turquoise in them, and those shoes would be the perfect accompaniment. Even better, they were marked down to $14.99, a significant reduction from their original $35 price tag. However, the store was quite a distance from my house, so I checked their website for the shoes. To my dismay, the deal was only for in-store shoppers. A few weeks later, I noticed that the shoes had gone on sale again! This time, I was going to be near the store on another errand, so I popped in to get them. Can you believe, they were out of the turquoise shoes? When I got home, I checked the website again. This time, they were on sale! I cheerfully selected the shoes, plugged in my credit card information and got to the “checkout.” I couldn’t believe my eyes: “These shoes are out of stock,” it said. I was so obsessed that I checked the website again and again over the next few weeks. Finally, they were in stock, and I was able to order them at the sale price. Unfortunately, those “perfect” shoes turned out to be the most uncomfortable pair in my closet! All that effort to get them, and I had blisters after wearing them for just a half-hour. Have you ever set your mind on having something, certain that it was meant for you, even though all the signs were telling you it wasn’t? Perhaps you stayed in a relationship with someone despite the red flags that kept popping up in warning against it. Consider the possibility that these signs (or red flags or internal voices) may be divine nudges about the path you should take. The next time you have a decision to make serious be still and listen to the guidance you receive from God. — beliefnet.com