Do you remember being a child, visiting a friend's church, and your family was going to your friend's house for lunch afterward? Remember how your friend's parents would say, "Henry can ride along with you all and show you the way"? If Henry was your best friend, the ride to his house was just as much fun as the anticipation of spending an afternoon together, right? You almost forgot about where you were going, as Henry showed you the farm with the big tractors that you passed and the school house where they played ball and he had hit a home run all the way into that cornfield!
I've mentioned that I'm listening through the chronological Bible this year, using The Bible Recap. Each day has a corresponding podcast with Tara-Leigh Cobble. Every day she gives a short recap of the day's reading and shares her "God shot" for the day. I've really been enjoying it.
An idea that she mentioned last week one day (I can't even remember what the reading for the day was!) is that God wants to be our personal guide. If someone were to invite us to their place for a birthday party, or whatever, we could easily put the address in our GPS and find it. But what a different feeling it would give us if the person jumped in our vehicle with us and personally showed us the way!
That idea has been rolling around in my mind ever since.
There are so many things in my life right now where it feels like I'm just waiting to see what will happen. Where will this lead? How will this look? What does God want for us? How is He going to work this out? What will it look like? All I seem to keep hearing is "Wait and see". That's not what I would like to hear.
What I realized is, a GPS seems so much more comfortable. You punch in the right thing and clear, concise directions pop up. Sometimes a GPS takes you on detours you weren't expecting but if you put in the correct information, you usually arrive at your destination eventually. It takes all the guesswork and, to a certain extent the responsibility, out of the deal. Put in the correct info; reach the desired destination. If you don't find yourself at the desired destination, it's certainly not your fault!
But that's not how God works; He wants to be our personal guide. He's all about getting in the car with us and having a conversation. He's all about the relationship; me relying on Him to tell me when to turn left or right. When we use a GPS, it's all about the destination and the best way to get there. We can scroll ahead and see all the turns and exactly how long it should take. A personal guide is not so much about the destination but the camaraderie along the way. The ride is just as important and enjoyable as the destination.
I don't have a lot of deep, insightful things to say about this. Mostly, I'm trying to learn to sit back and enjoy the drive with my guide. I'm trying to notice the scenery a little more, to participate fully in the conversations along the way and to stop worrying so much about the destination.
Maybe that idea will be meaningful to you, too.
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"I'm trying to notice the scenery a little more, to participate fully in the conversations along the way and to stop worrying so much about the destination." Such a great intention, Bethany. Sounds like a good goal for me, as well. Thanks for sharing the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome!
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