Moving On
/“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3: 5-6
One of the most beloved and quoted Bible passages, this Proverbs 3 verse is found in picture frames and on coffee cups, tee-shirts, and the like. It touches many faithful hearts as the idea of a supreme God watching out for us encourages during confusing times and comforts in dark days. For many, this passage will become a theme scripture for the new year, committing it as a “go-to” for some time to come. Its clear lesson is to have a spirit of trust and reliance, and one that is submissive to God’s will and direction. But there is an oft-overlooked point that we mention today that will help you in the days ahead.
That point is this: You don’t need the path unless you are going somewhere.
This famous passage presumes that you are moving, as in going to a place that is different from where you are now. It assumes that you are currently at point “A,” and you will find yourself in the future at a point “B.” It assumes that 2020 will bring you to a different place than in 2019.
I’m not sure we like that assumption. Many times, we wish this Proverb would teach us that trusting in the Lord would lead to a comfortably cushioned Adirondack chair on the patio, not a path we should be walking. We like the idea of a place where we can rest and not be exposed to the exercise of moving forward that can often be disorienting and make us sore.
It is more comfortable to sit in the chair because we don’t need to give of ourselves or be concerned about any path. We don’t need to wonder where it is going to lead us if we are not on it. The familiarity of the Adirondack is a nice place to sit when the path forward is foggy, too unclear to see. Our safe-haven patio brings us comfort because we do not need to come to peace with anything in the past because there is no forward motion. And this comfort allows us to put our trust squarely on our shoulders, and Jesus’ strong words from John 10 come true, the enemy is stealing, killing, and destroying your faith and dreams.
We may not have a sense, thought about it, or realize if we are on the path or resting on the patio. The discouragement that often comes from outside circumstances or strange feelings that come in a life transition are two common tricks used to crush our hearts and blind us from having hopes of moving forward. We get fearful or bitter and surrender to the patio. Other times, we know when we are choosing the patio for one reason or another. We intentionally ignore the path, and our light shines no brighter today than it did in the past, or worse, has dimmed.
Is it time for you to get off the patio and head down the path? Have you lost your dreams or hopes of what you could do and be for God? Do you have a vision for 2020 to be out walking on water with the eyes fixed on Jesus?
Start moving with intention. Where in your life do you want to grow? What part needs a makeover? Despite the unknowns ahead, the choice to move forward gets us off the chair of complacency and pushes us to a life of using our gifts and inspiring others. The world needs just that; for people to come alive and use their gifts!
1) Need to step it up at work? Be a more dependable and enjoyable employee and focus on doing a great job each day. (Col 3: 23-24)
2) Need to get a job? Make your search for a job a fulltime task. Get help on your resume and interviewing. Be aggressive and get a job in your field that can lead to a great career for you. No one will do it for you. (Ps 90: 17)
3) Do you have trouble seeing God? Or believing in His existence? You’re not alone. Please send us a note. We would love to help support you in your discovery. (Acts 8: 30-31)
4) Looking for spiritual inspiration? Be open and honest and talk to someone who inspires you, then BE the inspiration that you want to see by letting your faith drive action! (1Sam 17: 50)
5) Anger or disappointments got you down? There are too many disappointments in life (#fact). We can respond in several different emotions but be confident in this: God is bigger and better than we know. Regardless of your age, He still has plans for your life. They just might be big plans! It is during difficult experiences when there seems no way out that we can grow and mature the most. Sometimes, we need to decide to move on, give God your burden and tears in prayer, and lift your head to find the open doors. (Php 2: 12-13)
6) Does your personal ministry need a personal makeover? Let God be your confidence. The enemy has lied to you enough; you have SO much to share (Mt 5: 14-16)!
7) Is it something else that has got you on the chair? Lift your spirit, and let God set your course (Ps 51: 10-12)
We have no current plans to sell our home and move to a new location (#fakenews). We do plan to forge on from where we are now to make the best 2020. We want to grow spiritually and move on in helping others to go forward as well. We do our best.
Mostly, we want to reach out to our friends and be a light in the darkness and to keep putting ourselves “out there,” using our talents to move down the foggy path that we don’t know to where it leads, trusting in the Lord along the way.
