Not All Paths Are Known
Have you ever felt like you knew where you were going, but you had no idea how you were going to get there? Yeah…me too.
The question you find yourself asking is, “I know what I saw. I know what you showed me, God. WHY CAN’T I JUST GET THERE?” Frustration and overwhelm set in, and what was once a vision of a compelling future, becomes just another pipe dream that will never come to fruition. You were told by mentors and gurus that if you just hustled harder, prayed longer, talked to more contacts, did the work, strived and contended, that you would reach your objective, and live a life filled to the brim with contentment, joy, fulfilment, and purpose.
When that doesn’t work out, you give up and chase the next shiny opportunity that presents itself. You lose hope, proving once again to yourself that you don’t have what it takes and you aren’t capable of success. “See, I knew this would happen. It always happens“, you tell yourself.
Does this sound familiar?
“I don’t know where I’m goingBut I sure know where I’ve beenHanging on the promises in songs of yesterdayAnd I’ve made up my mindI ain’t wasting no more timeHere I go again, here I go againThough I keep searching for an answerI never seem to find what I’m looking forOh, Lord, I pray you give me strength to carry on….”
–Whitesnake
In the words of the great theologians, Whitesnake (that’s a joke), “…though I keep searching for an answer, I never seem to find what I’m looking for…”. I wish I could express to you how common this is. If you’re reading this far, something is resonating with you. It hurts to know that God has given you a glimpse of something He wants you to move into, some great cause or purpose, and it seems like you come to a dead end everytime you try to get there.
The actual truth
The truth is that God didn’t give you a vision that you can never obtain. He’s not teasing you and He’s not teaching you a lesson for being a bad Christian. He’s a loving father that knows what’s best for you and He will take you on a journey so that your faith and character are built along the way and you are prepared to serve in this new capacity. It’s going to require something of you…trust.
You’re not ready yet. It’s not time yet. And that’s okay.
The most difficult thing you will have to learn is to trust God’s timing. He doesn’t operate on our timeline. In His wisdom, He allows us to go through a process of excitement, action, disappointment, striving, frustration, discouragement, reassurance, surrender, and rest. Surrender and rest is where you are to stay, but don’t mistake rest for passivity. You can rest in Him, knowing that He’s working everything for your good, but you must take the action required to get to the objective.
You’re in good company
You aren’t going to know all of the steps necessary to get to the objective and you’re not supposed to. Abraham was called to a land that he didn’t know anything about. He just knew that God had called him…so he obeyed. Later on, when God told Abraham to sacrifice his long-awaited son, Isaac, he didn’t hesitate. He just trusted what God said, and God provided a sacrificial lamb instead.
It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.
Hebrews 11:8 NLT
When you walk toward your vision, you will walk blindly, just hoping that you’re making the right choices and praying that God leads you down the right path, in spite of yourself. He will keep giving you little glimpses of what’s to come to stir your heart again and remind you of who you are. You’re not Abraham, but the journey toward your vision will require you to trust that God knows what He’s doing and that He’ll get you to the right place at the right time.
What should you do?
Your assignment is to take the next right step, doing the next right thing, because you want to, get to, and choose to.
Your perspective is to be one of wonder and awe of the journey and all the sights along the way. You may never pass this way again! There are new adventures ahead, but you’re right here, right now, experiencing what you feel, see, hear, taste, and smell. Sit with it for awhile. Ask, “What do you want to teach me in this moment? What lessons do you have for me to learn? Who am I to become as I walk through this land?” Instead of living closed up, with clinched hands, full of anxiety and stress, live open, with palms up, ready to release and receive.
Your character is being forged in the furnace of adversity. Who you are becoming in this process is more precious than gold. Your vision is without sight, because you have to learn to stop trusting your eyes more than your loving Father.
If your vision is compelling you forward, but you don’t know what to do next, just take the next right step.
Let us help you work through the process. You don’t have to walk alone.