Turn left at the old pine tree
Posted in Brett's Posts 2 comments
If you are like me and lack a GPS in your car, then you have likely gotten some odd directions in order to get somewhere. Turn by turn, hills, curves, landmarks, and sometimes (if I'm lucky) street names. Over the weekend I was in St. Joseph for a friends wedding. This was only the second time I'd been in that area, so I am reliant on directions to a lot of places. People wonder at how I can get to some places with the worst directions. Part of it is being confident in being able to figure it out, but my biggest secret? I'm not afraid to turn around. Even if I had a GPS it would probably say "please make a legal U-turn" the most. When looking for someplace I don't worry about passing it if I don't know exactly where it is. Plus by exploring a little more, I learn the area a lot better.
This is how I am with driving, but often quite the opposite in life. In life I become so caught up in if this is the right thing, can I afford to do something like that, will I like that job, is this God's will? The result is that I end up stuck and make no change. It's almost like a deer in the headlights, blinded and unmoving, until thud (unless you're one to swerve). Should I be more like I am in driving and just try a bunch of different things with less thought? Not be so afraid of making a mistake? How big a part does God's will play into this?
Since it isn't resolved in my own mind, it seems only fair to leave it unresolved here. Thoughts?
Brett
This is how I am with driving, but often quite the opposite in life. In life I become so caught up in if this is the right thing, can I afford to do something like that, will I like that job, is this God's will? The result is that I end up stuck and make no change. It's almost like a deer in the headlights, blinded and unmoving, until thud (unless you're one to swerve). Should I be more like I am in driving and just try a bunch of different things with less thought? Not be so afraid of making a mistake? How big a part does God's will play into this?
Since it isn't resolved in my own mind, it seems only fair to leave it unresolved here. Thoughts?
Brett
2 comments:
I've thought about this too Brett, and I don't think there is an absolutely clear answer. Still, here is one thought I've had.
We often feel that God has only one absolutely perfect will - that there is only one direction that he clearly wants us to take, but I wonder if that's true. Maybe it's more like a hallway of doors. There are several doors that God would not like us to walk through, but there are also several doors that God would give his blessing for us to walk through. He created so much variety in all of creation, and there is considerable variety in each of us. Since God clearly values variety, it seems silly to think that his will offers only one path for each of us.
If you accept this analogy, then it's still difficult to choose a door. Every door you choose means you've left several others behind. Continuing down your current hallway could be a God-sanctioned option as well, but you might be walking past several equally God-sanctioned doors.
Makes it hard to make a decision, huh? Still, if God has placed these feelings on your heart of being stuck and making no change, maybe that's his nudging you to leave your current hallway and choose one of the doors he has for you.
Dang, I should make a post with that analogy! ;)
As my college professor once said in a chapel service, much to the dismay of the girls in attendance..."If you have 3 girls. All believers. All are equally attractive. All have great personalities and would make great girl friends. Which one do you choose? How do you know God's will?! Easy. You choose one. If it doesn't work out you move to the next would she have you. That doesn't work then on to the next until you run out of girls or you marry one. The end!"
The girls didn't like this much...the guys on the other hand stood and applauded as to say THANK YOU...THANK YOU...THANK YOU!!!!
I am currently doing a u-turn...going back to take a youth position because I realized the road I was on did not look good ahead of me.
JRo
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