Girlfriends in God - Jan. 26, 2010
January 26, 2010
Directions
Mary Southerland
Today's Truth
2 Coritntians 5:7 "For we walk by faith, not by sight."
Friend To Friend
I am terrible at directions. I can totally understand up, down, left and right and have often wondered why all directions are not limited to those four simple words. Trying to read a map gives me a headache and I would starve to death if I had to make a living as a navigator. My husband has finally quit handing me the atlas to find anything on any trip we take together. That's what billboards and road signs are for - right?
Moving to a new city presents a whole new set of problems for people like me who are directionally challenged but I have learned to cope. I tend to find my way by using landmarks.
When we first moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, I needed directions to the high school our daughter would attend. Instead of whipping out a map, I asked one of the local farmers if he could tell me where the high school was and how I could get there. "Well, you go down this road until you come to the red light just before the one at the big grocery store on the right and the Methodist church on the left. If you get to the church or grocery store, you have gone one light too far. Now, take a right and keep going straight until you pass the goat farm. Turn left on the first street after the goat farm and then follow that street until it quits. Then turn right and the high school is just a hop, skip and a jump away." Now those are what I call directions!
I fumbled my way around Charlotte until our son rescued me. Jered usually has no problems with directions and can actually comprehend the concept of a map very well. From the time Jered could read, Dan placed an atlas in his little hands at the beginning of every family vacation and announced, "Son, you are our navigator." As a teenager and now as an adult, Jered can always reach his destination. However, even Jered had a hard time finding his way around Charlotte - until the day he found an aerial map of the city. "I took one look at Charlotte from the air and it all fell into place, Mom." The same is true in life.
We can seek advice from others about the roads we should take and the turns we should make. We can follow the steps of those who are successful by human standards and we can navigate our way through life by using certain landmarks as our guide. Human triumphs, personal achievements, individual power and earthly wealth all seem like worthy destinations and goals for life, don't they? The problem with that mindset is that they are temporary, lifeless and have no eternal value.
We are lost without God's direction. Fortunately, He has handed us an eternal plan and perspective for our life journey. It is called the Bible.
Let's Pray
Father, I thank You for the power of prayer and for how it guides my path in the right direction. Help me to listen for Your voice above all others. Give me a hunger and thirst for the Word of God and the discipline to apply it in my life. I yield my plan to You and accept yours in return.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
Now It's Your Turn
Read and memorize Jeremiah 29:11. How does this verse apply to your life ... right now?
Read and memorize Proverbs 3:5-6. Identify the five steps you must take in order to see and do God's will for your life.
Set aside some time today to surrender all that you know about you ... to all that you know about God.
More From The Girlfriends
It seems like so many people love me and have a plan for my life. The problem is that they all sound like great plans. But it really does not matter how great those plans sound because the only one that matters is the plan God has for me. His plan is the only plan that guarantees purpose and a meaningful life. The good news is that God longs to show us the plan He has for our life. We just need to keep our gaze on Him, our glance on the circumstances and listen for His voice spoken through the Bible.
Need help? Check out Mary's weekly online Bible Study, Light for the Journey, as she begins 2010 with the series, "Aim at Nothing ... And You Will Hit It!" Learn how to set meaningful and powerful goals that can change the entire direction of your life. Don't settle for anything less that what God has in mind for you.
Check out Mary's E-Book Bible Study, Getting a Grip on Fear. It is a great study for your personal quiet time as well as for a small group.
You can also connect with Mary through e-mail or on FaceBook! Let's talk!
Seeking God?
Click here to find out more about
how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Girlfriends in God
info@girlfriendsingod.com
www.girlfriendsingod.com
