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Before cell phones were so common, I hated caravanning to
places with people who would say, “Oh, just follow me there!” Inevitably, the car in front of me would make
it through the light, and I wouldn’t.
Then, either I’d have to floor it to try to catch up to them, or they’d
have to pull over and wait for me to come through.
Now it’s so easy just to call someone from your group if you
get separated. Or, you can just use your
GPS and find the place on your own. Finding
an unknown destination doesn’t have to be such a mystery anymore. Call me old school, though, but I still keep
a road atlas in my car (thank you, Grandpa), and if I’m going on a long trip,
I’ll print a map from the Internet. Yes,
I’m an INTJ. But the bottom line is that
I simply don’t trust step-by-step directions.
I want the big picture, the complete picture, before I even start.
Too bad God doesn’t work that way. I’m realizing more and more every day how
much I need to lean on Him for guidance, and I’m also learning that He is 100%
trustworthy! He has never left me
hanging, never allowed me to get lost.
Sure, I might not be able to see where I’m headed sometimes, but He
always knows, and He always gives me directions for my next turn in time. (Unlike the GPS.)
Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a
light for my path.”
God does provide guidance, but it’s usually just a little
bit at a time. He knows how much
information we need, and that’s exactly how much He gives us—no more, no less.
I’ve been trying to obey Him as I seek His guidance for the
future, and I have a little glimpse of what could be ahead, but there’s still a
lot of darkness. My lamp just isn’t
bright enough to see as far as I want to.
But God Himself is all the light that I need.
"Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, 'I am the
light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness,
because you will have the light that leads to life.'" -John 8:12
Even though I take little steps of progress at a time, I am
moving forward. And it’s encouraging to
be able to look back and see where I was.
I’ve done my best to follow God’s direction for my life, and
there have been times that He has closed doors, and I didn’t understand
why. It made me feel like I had done
something wrong; that I had missed some crucial information from Him which
resulted in my heartbreak. But (I think)
I am learning that isn’t always the case.
Those closed doors and heartaches are a part of the journey as
well. I can see now that I’ve learned
lessons from those situations that I probably would not have learned any other
way. And I am grateful that God loves me
enough to keep me from going down a path that He knows isn’t the best one for
me, even if it looks pretty good from my perspective.
I don’t know what lies ahead, but I can say with certainty
that God has continued to open doors and to confirm the steps that I’ve already
taken, so I can trust that He will either continue to do that, or He’ll
redirect me in His timing to something even better.
Through many dangers,
toils and snares
I have already come;'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far
and Grace will lead me home.
The Lord has promised good to me.
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.
Amazing Grace,
John Newton
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