A friend, after hearing about great things at work, asked me want I was going to do next. Without hesitation, I answered directly with a growing sense of peace in my answer.
“Whatever God wants me to do. I walk blind. It is scary, but it also drives me to hold onto God in faith even more strongly than ever.”
Common wisdom suggests that we should carefully plan, methodically analyze, and progress with and through discipline. It easy to agree with this approach; I would, except for the observation that it is missing a key first step. One must know what God they have chosen. Without a choice, we default to the God within. I know that it is easy to ignore, in fact, often it seems somewhat irrelevant. However, there is no way to proceed without this step
Everyone carries a bag filled with fears, uncertainties, and doubts. We work on reducing the size, however it never disappears. The size of our baggage often directly correlates to the size of our external confidence. Our choice of God is our best pick for a solution. We thirst for something more. Resolving how to deal with this bag is the first move in taking a step. Regardless of how many times we solve the equation, we remake our choice at least once a day, often more.
Looking to the future is much like planning a day. We often cannot see far so we optimize within what we can see. The usual approach comes from our willingness to get up and take each part of the day one step at a time. Inevitably, the foundation is self-reliance and the god within. In the midst of a day, it is easy to oscillate between the god within and a thirst for the God beyond.
“God wants the combination of his steady, constant calling and warm, personal counsel in Scripture to come to characterize us, keeping us alert for whatever he will do next.” (Romans 15.5)
I realize that this is my constant prayer. I hope it becomes yours.
