Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And a light unto my path.
Psalm 119:105 KJV
The last post I wrote, One Factor Equals Two Opposites, I asked the question why church can’t be like it used to be again? I’ve struggled with that question a lot as well as using the same question for everything else in life. Why can’t it go back to normal?
As I was writing it I realized I may not be able to see life go “back” to normal but I can see a new normal coming. My problem is, I don’t like change. Now how am I supposed to accept the changes happening around me?
A good start is to take one step at a time. You don’t have to accept all the change at once. If you find your church doors closed due to pandemic, take a moment to let yourself cry because we know that Jesus cries with us.
Jesus wept.
John 11:35 KJV
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: …. A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4
Then you pick yourself up, dust yourself off and know that God knows your next step and He alone will take care of you.
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Proverbs 3:5-6
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
I think the verse at the beginning of this post very nicely describes the way I’ve had to live the last couple years of my life. All my life actually. I’ve never had a plan for my life, no college plans, no dream job, nothing. So I have really had to work on trusting the Lord. I know that His ways are perfect and I know that He will show me my next step in His wonderful timing.
As frusterating as it may be, (especially for a planner like me) usually God will only show you the step that is immediately in front of you rather than ten steps later. Just like a lamp will illuminate only a small portion of the cluttered floor in my room, so God will only illuminate a small portion of my life in front of me.
If I were to instead use flood lights to bathe my entire room I might get overwhelmed by the amount of stuff I have. Not necessarily bad stuff, just stuff I haven’t taken the time to clean up (now you know how messy my room is, haha). Also, I would probably be blinded by the light in such a small space. However, if I use just a lamp I can see what’s in front of me and clean up one spot at a time without being so overwhelmed by the big picture that I stop before I even start.
The same thing goes for the lamp God uses. He shows me what’s right in front of me and what I need to do right now without seeing the big picture. That way I can focus on what I need to do right now, not ten years from now. Yes it’s good to prepare, but by being so focused on the future you end up missing out on the present.
If God were to give me insight about what my future holds, I would probably end up being so overwhelmed by all the steps leading up to it that I wouldn’t enjoy the times currently surrounding me.
How am I ok with this? Truth is, I’m not always. I really, really, really don’t like not knowing what my future holds. I don’t think I stand alone in that either. What I can be assured of though, is that even though I don’t know what my future holds, I do know Who holds my future.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Jeremiah 29:11