Speaking of making progress, last night in our small group we were talking about getting from Point A to Point B. We were discussing a cliche phrase so commonly used in Christian circles: "seeking God's will." Several of us commented how so often we fret that if we make a wrong decision, we will be out of God's will for our lives, get off course, mess everything up, and never reach the final, ultimate destination He had for us (point B). I mentioned how Mr. Clark, my high school Bible teacher, explained God's will to my senior class. Many of us were trying to figure out where to go to college, and being good little Christian boys and girls we wanted to make sure we knew God's will for our lives before making any decisions. We didn't want to make the wrong choice and end up somewhere God didn't want us or didn't intend for us to be. Mr. Clark made a dot on the white board with his marker and said most of us saw God's will as that small little dot. We had to make the exact right decisions to be in God's will; there was no room for "error." Then, he drew a large circle with lots of dots inside of it. He went on to say that God's will is more like the circle and all the dots inside are the choices we can make. They are all fine and dandy, all in His will, because they all agree with the principles taught in God's Word. As long as our choices are in line with Scripture, we are in God's will for our lives. Whew! Talk about a big sigh of relief!
We all agreed this was an excellent way of looking at God's will. Being reminded of this helps alleviate quite a bit of stress as we may not be trying to figure out which college to go to these days, but we do have important decisions to make: should we buy this car or is there going to be a better deal later; do we send our kids to public school, homeschool them, or pay for private education; am I supposed to get my Master's right now or wait; are we done having kids or do we want more someday; etc, etc, etc. How freeing to know that God gives us the opportunity to choose, to make decisions. He isn't a domineering dictator telling us exactly what to do every second of the day. As long as we live by His Word, we are good to go! Not only are we doing His will, we are pleasing Him in the process!
Then someone asked a very insightful question, "What exactly is Point B anyway?" I think we as Christians (or at least me) tend to think of Point B as heaven. That is our final destination, our eternal home, after all. Or, we could look at each segment of life as a journey from Point A to Point B, and each time we start a new phase Point B changes to something else. My favorite idea though, and what I think really hits the nail on the head, was that Christ Himself is Point B. In all our searching and trying to figure out God's will for our lives, in all our going to and fro from one stage of life to the next, God is ultimately drawing us closer and closer to Himself. Thus, JESUS is really our ultimate destination. He is our final prize, what (or Who) we are truly seeking. So often we forget this and get caught up with the little points along the way, making them Point B, instead of staying focused on what really matters. As Hebrews 12:1-2 reminds us, "Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of your faith..."
I love the analogy of life being a journey (a race marked out before us). God has prepared a path for us, and as we discussed last night this road will probably have lots of twists and turns, loops and curves, and maybe even dead ends. AND, if (when) we get off course, it's like God is our GPS: He doesn't freak out and yell at us, "You've messed everything up! You idiot!!! Now you'll never reach Point B!" Instead, He calmly announces, "Rerouting. Rerouting." He shows us a different way to get to the place He wants us to be. Our destination hasn't changed, even if our route did. And the really cool thing is God is can still show us really awesome things along this new route; He will keep on working in our lives -- speaking to us, teaching us, and transforming us into His image. After all, He is leading us to Himself and as the Master Guide He will keep on redirecting us to make sure we get there!
As if the discussion in small group wasn't enough, God confirmed yet again this morning that He is in charge, has prepared a path for me, and I am supposed to trust Him with my future, following Him one step at a time. I don't have to know exactly what lies ahead; I just have to keep my eyes on Him and go where He goes. The devotion from Sarah Young's Jesus Calling for today went like this:
Start your day with Me.
You may have some ideas about what will happen today,
but I know exactly what will happen.
I know you want to see the whole map of your day,
every twist and turn, every joy and pain.
You think that will help you be prepared for whatever you have to face.
But My way is better. Let Me be your guide.
No, I don't show you every detail of your day,
but I will give you everything you need to handle it.
Start your day with Me, and then keep in touch.
If you find your thoughts wandering where they shouldn't, just whisper My Name.
I'll guide you back to the right road, because I am the best map you'll ever find!
Gotta love it.
No comments:
Post a Comment