Maps, Plans, and New Directions
Danielle King / Webmaster and Data Administrator
When I was a kid, I had the privilege of riding down to Florida every spring break with my grandparents. I was glued to the “TripTik” along with the binder of directions my grandmother had printed and updated with handwritten notes each time we made the journey. The odd forks in the road, the multi-year construction detours, and the best rest stops were all labeled. And I loved that! Even now with GPS, Google Maps and TripAdvisor, I appreciate the value of that personalized guide.
To be honest, I wouldn’t mind if I had one of those guidebooks for my LIFE! To be protected from surprises, eliminate points of indecision, and know I was following the right path would be a huge relief. I would love to ask God, “right or left?” or “this one or that one?” and hear a clear answer every time. Sometimes I do hear one, but more often I have to either use the wisdom God gave me to make the best choice I can or else sit in prayer over a longer period of time and wait for something to shift. Then there are other times when I’m not praying about an issue, or even thinking about it, and a very strong and clear impression about it comes to my mind, seemingly out of nowhere (and yet, I know where!). I had that experience just the other day.
I was talking to a friend about volunteering at church when I was suddenly struck with a conviction about our homeschool curriculum. It was something along the lines of, “You know all those books and plans you have for teaching your kids next year? Toss them and pick something else.” Now before you think I base major life decisions on thoughts and feelings dropping out of the sky like bird poo, I’ll say that this is something that I’ve prayed about many times and was in the “using wisdom to make the best choice” phase of prayer. So, I was open to hearing from God about it, even though this moment was unexpected, and the timing was pretty inconvenient. From there, I shared that conviction with three other people I trust and each of them responded in a way that affirmed it and gave me confidence to trust in what I had heard.
I’ve already said that I’m the kind of person that loves a detailed plan, like that special Florida road trip binder. But God hasn’t given me one of those, and He just instructed me to chuck my best attempt at one. He pointed out a route NOT to take but didn’t update it with a replacement. Needless to say, this is a little uncomfortable for me! But I have the promises of God to guide me, numerous friends to advise me, and the Holy Spirt to counsel me. If I had the whole map, what would I need those things for? So, I’ll remind myself that this “setback” is only an opportunity to grow closer to God as I restart my plans and seek His wisdom every step of the way. Again. My weakness is His strength, and I’ll cling to it knowing I’d rather feel this way than be fooled into thinking I don’t need Him as my companion on the journey.
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| Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash |
To be honest, I wouldn’t mind if I had one of those guidebooks for my LIFE! To be protected from surprises, eliminate points of indecision, and know I was following the right path would be a huge relief. I would love to ask God, “right or left?” or “this one or that one?” and hear a clear answer every time. Sometimes I do hear one, but more often I have to either use the wisdom God gave me to make the best choice I can or else sit in prayer over a longer period of time and wait for something to shift. Then there are other times when I’m not praying about an issue, or even thinking about it, and a very strong and clear impression about it comes to my mind, seemingly out of nowhere (and yet, I know where!). I had that experience just the other day.
I was talking to a friend about volunteering at church when I was suddenly struck with a conviction about our homeschool curriculum. It was something along the lines of, “You know all those books and plans you have for teaching your kids next year? Toss them and pick something else.” Now before you think I base major life decisions on thoughts and feelings dropping out of the sky like bird poo, I’ll say that this is something that I’ve prayed about many times and was in the “using wisdom to make the best choice” phase of prayer. So, I was open to hearing from God about it, even though this moment was unexpected, and the timing was pretty inconvenient. From there, I shared that conviction with three other people I trust and each of them responded in a way that affirmed it and gave me confidence to trust in what I had heard.
I’ve already said that I’m the kind of person that loves a detailed plan, like that special Florida road trip binder. But God hasn’t given me one of those, and He just instructed me to chuck my best attempt at one. He pointed out a route NOT to take but didn’t update it with a replacement. Needless to say, this is a little uncomfortable for me! But I have the promises of God to guide me, numerous friends to advise me, and the Holy Spirt to counsel me. If I had the whole map, what would I need those things for? So, I’ll remind myself that this “setback” is only an opportunity to grow closer to God as I restart my plans and seek His wisdom every step of the way. Again. My weakness is His strength, and I’ll cling to it knowing I’d rather feel this way than be fooled into thinking I don’t need Him as my companion on the journey.