Here is a post from our guest blogger, Mr. Musings & Meta-tations himself! 😉 It’s good stuff, guys!
“But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” Genesis 3:9 ESV
When God called out to Adam in the Garden of Eden and asked where he was, Adam answered saying that he hid himself due to the shame of being naked and the fear. Adam knew he did what he was told not to do. Despite the transgression, God still took care of Adam and Eve by making garments for them to cover themselves and a path forward for them to live. God also set in motion the plan for salvation through Jesus to help restore man to the place where he was created to be – in His presence.
Like Adam, we can try to get to a destination in our strength. We can look up a location in our navigation app or ask someone for directions. We often input our starting point. Of course, most apps can use your current location, but we can override it with a different starting point. Most apps can estimate time of arrival, so we can plan accordingly. As we embark on the journey, the app will continue to check for alternate routes that may be faster, and continue to update the ETA – so we know if we’re going to be late. 🤐
Similarly, it’s important for us to constantly reassess where we’re going in life, and where we’re currently at in relation to our destination. What are the dreams/visions/goals that God has inspired in us? What is the destination that we’re looking to get to? If you don’t have a destination or target for a specific area in your life, seek God for at least a next step. Oftentimes, as we start the process, He will begin to make the destination clear.
For example, football fans – even if you can’t see the end zone for your big score, you can target the first down marker. Or if you’re into building blocks with your kids – it might not be the finished model at the end of the tedious assembly. It could be figuring out what’s needing to be done on page 1, page 2, etc.
The key is to keep moving toward the destination. Don’t let fear of failure, intimidation from the enemy, self-doubt, or peer-pressure hold you back. While those are all big things to tackle in our minds and hearts, God is even bigger, and He has a greater plan for you. Shift your focus on the destination and the next steps to reach there. Don’t focus on the missed turn 3 steps ago, or the fact that you may not be driving in the fancy car you’ve always imagined, or it’s a different town than what you’ve always dreamed you’d be driving in. These are all metaphors, and can be really any situation in your life that keeps your attention longer than it has merit or right to do so. Those things become stumbling blocks if we let them, even if they’re not bad things in and of themselves. Shift your focus to the One who provided the vision for the destination, or the next steps, even. He will help keep you on the correct path as long as you stay focused on Him and let Him direct you.
God is gracious and merciful, and is less concerned about your current circumstances than in helping you to navigate the purpose that He’s called you to. He will continue to course-correct you. Just like when we miss a turn, the navigation app will automatically reroute us to the next best path to get to our destination. Don’t fear the wrong turn or the missed exit; instead take courage in knowing that the King of the universe is still bigger than your missteps. He is able to make that work together for good – not only for you, but also those that you’ll now have the opportunity to come in contact with. He’s able to redeem, renew, restore, and resurrect. He’s able to overcome our little mistakes. Just like we see past our kids’ mistakes and help show them how to get back on track. How much greater and more loving is our Father God?
As we go on this journey, it’s important to take stock and be completely honest – where are you? Where are you starting from? If we understand where on the football field we are, we know what distance we need to go for our next interim milestone (first down), or ultimate destination (end zone). Oftentimes, we hide from God or aren’t completely honest with ourselves about where we are. We’re only deceiving ourselves and entering in a false starting point on the navigation app to our destination. It’s not like He doesn’t already know – He’s waiting for us to acknowledge and reorient ourselves to be navigated from our current starting point. It’s better to just let Him expose where we are and use our current location to be the true starting point to take the next step to our destination.
So no matter where you are in relation to your destination, just know that there is always a path forward and that all roads are connected somehow. Sometimes the fastest path is to make a U-turn, and sometimes you need to keep moving forward and accept the subsequent turns or alternate route. Your path may look different than those around you, but it’s not any less integral to the Kingdom of God. As long as you are pursuing God’s destination for you, and His path for your life, you will learn to shed the fear and shame and learn to operate in the freedom that only He can provide you.
~mnm
