Watching airplanes shoot across the sky are like missiles locked on their goal.
Focused.
Destination, set.
How to get there, decided.
Time of arrival, known.
Days pass when we wish our path was as focused and clear as a jet steam. Our destination certain and time of arrival accurate.
However, as I pray for this, there is a hesitation. I love exploring. Creeping through bushes Bear Grylls style, finding secret pathways like Alice in Wonderland, and discovering breathtaking views that my eyes have yet to lay upon.
Maybe, giving up the adventure for clarity is not really what we want.
Maybe, giving up the unknown for the known leaves vacant our understanding of God.
The disciples each had a trade they had trained for. A career that was set. A known pathway.
Then Jesus walked into their place of employment. Something about him enticed them away from food for dinner and money for their families. Something persuasive enough to change their focus and alter their destination.
The next three years the disciples lived an adventure. They saw: thousands fed, demons cast out, water turned to wine, sick people healed, hurting people transformed, and dead people walk again. Theirs lives went from predictable and set to changeable and extraordinary.
Maybe, giving up the set path makes space for us to see what the disciples saw.
Maybe, giving up clarity and precision invites adventure and miracles.
Maybe, giving up control provides room for God to walk into our place of employment.
If, “faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see,” then I pray for us all; Lord, please make our paths straight towards you and our lives an adventure with you.
Liz, C.S Lewis's words came to mind when I read your post. From Letters to Malcolm:
"How we any reason to suppose that total self-knowledge, if it were given to us, would be for our good? Children and fools, we are told, should never look at half-done work; and we are not yet, I trust, even half-done. You and I wouldn't at all stages, think it wise to tell a pupil exactly what we thought of his quality. It is much more important that he should know what to do next."
Indeed, step by step is the best way to advance! Thanks for sharing.
A lot has changed around me in the last 2 months. I've given up a lot of what used to be part of my "everyday life", it was almost routine. I have given up some extra responsibilities and instead of the usual overwhelm, I have chosen a more relaxed and easy-going life style, which interestingly was really hard to get used to it. Since I'm not used to not overburdening myself, I'm constantly wondering if I'm wasting my time. However, because of this, I was able to get back to myself and discover qualities that I would not have been able to do without. Unfortunately, I have not been able to keep in touch with God for the past 1…