I used to have a clear, concise, and detailed view of the future. I could easily outline my goals, the possible paths, and the hurdles that were going to be in front of me for several months, if not years. My confidence was high. There were occasional detours, unexpected challenges, and excursions, however these merely became color on the plan at hand. Nothing would deter. Little could challenge or block. Life was for living!
As busy as I was, as hard as I worked, and as consistent as I pushed towards my plan, I do not see that I make any real progress during the first twelve years! If I add to this analysis the whirlpool of disaster after disaster that followed, the lack of progress extends to almost two decades! This is not a sob story. During this period, good things continued to happen. However, I never make BIG progress. I never leaped tall buildings, found serious peace, and knew that my life was improving. It almost seems like I was part of a group of “losers who make a game of evil and throw parties to celebrate perversity, traveling paths that go nowhere, wandering in a maze of detours and dead ends.” (Proverbs 2.13)
Something changed. I know when I got through the gate completely, however I am still not sure when it started. The foundation began, I believe, with an important friendship in New York. This awareness is foundational because it was the first time in my life that God was able to penetrate my deafness and let me know that I was His child. A friend introduced me as being part of God's family, a man on a mission to share God with those around him, a man acting on God's behalf.
I was hiding from God and He found me. God is echoing these words to you as well. You are God's spiritual advisor to anyone and everyone you meet. Advisors use more than words. They use a smile, a gesture, or a gift. Understanding this is the beginning of progress.
