How about you? Do you ever feel like you're hanging off a cliff? Like the old joke where a man falls off and is hanging by a large root with nothing between him and the ground 100 feet below. He is screaming, "Help! Somebody help me!" God says, "I'll help you! Let go!" There is silence for a moment and the man shouts, "Is there anybody else up there?"Wouldn't you like to have a fax or email from God with a list of instructions for your life? Directions for the road so you'll know where to make the turns and be sure to arrive at the exact place He wants you to at the correct time? I sure would!
I seem to get hung up in the "Lord, what do you want me to do next?" mode for way too long. Maybe it comes from being a recovering perfectionist. Sometimes we don't make decisions because we're not sure that it's the "right" answer. Nobody likes to make mistakes so we can avoid them by procrastinating and "waiting on the Lord."
I read that the Columbia space shuttle's guidance system only kicks in when it's several miles out in space. Maybe God's guidance system works the same way. It doesn't kick in until you're in motion, which means you've got to get off the launch pad. If you stay frozen waiting for God to "show you" the answer or until you hear His voice for certain, you may not ever get direction.
Many times we have a task before us that we have not done. Maybe it's not the one we'd like to have, so we keep hoping God will change His mind and change life around a bit to fit more of what we picture it to be. God might be saying to you, "You'll hear more from Me after you have done what I've already shown you to do."
Hebrews 11:8 says that "By faith, Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going."
Sometimes we have to just get moving in the direction that God has shown us. If you've ever walked outside at night with a flash light, you know you can only shed light on a small area in front of you. We've forgotten to get the mail before it got dark and had to tromp down the driveway to the mailbox with a flashlight.
You've got to keep the light only a foot or so before your feet. If you shine the light further in the distance, you're likely to trip over something. If we're looking ahead to what we want the picture of life to be without taking the first steps that are at our feet, we are not going to get to where God wants us to go. You won't see beyond the bend in the road until you get there to make the turn.
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:7 that "we walk by faith, not by sight." It's nice to know where we're supposed to be going, but God wants us to trust Him with our lives and He knows we may get overwhelmed with the big picture, so He gives us a few steps at a time.
If we give God a willing heart and trust Him to have the best for our lives, we will begin to care less about what's around the bend, and enjoy what's at our feet. So take those steps that you know to take now and see what God has for you when you get further down the road. You don't need to know it all now.
Don't worry about mistakes. Those with great wisdom know that there is much knowledge in mistakes and they use it for their benefit. As you walk, you will find closed doors, denied access and roadblocks ... but keep in mind that these are as much a part of Divine guidance as a clean and clear path. And you know how rare those clean paths are!
Get up and get moving!
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