God. He can be so annoying sometimes. Constantly calling us out of our comfort zones, into territory that is "unknown" or "new" to us. Wanting us to trust Him.
Truly following Jesus is not always easy. By following Him, we sign over our life. We become a “slave” to Christ. We agree to go where He tells us to go, and do what He tells us to do. On the road to following Him, many times we come to a crossroad. A crossroad where fear meets faith, and we have to choose which way to go. Will we be fearful as we strive to fulfill the specific call of God on our life, or will we be faith-full. There’s a story that Max Lucado shares in his book, “Every day deserves a chance”, it goes like this:
“When ancient sailors sketched maps of the oceans, they disclosed their fears. On the vast unexplored waters, cartographers wrote words such as these: “Here be dragons.” “Here be demons.” “Here be sirens.” Were a map drawn of your world, would we read such phrases? Over the unknown waters of adulthood “Here be dragons.” Near the sea of the empty nest “Here be demons.” Next to the farthermost latitudes of death and eternity, do we read “Here be sirens”? If so, take heart from the example of Sir John Franklin. He was a master mariner in the day of King Henry V. Distant waters were a mystery to him, just as they were to other navigators. Unlike his colleagues, however, Sir John Franklin was a man of faith. The maps that passed through his possession bore the imprimatur of trust. On them he had crossed out the phrases “Here be dragons,” “Here be demons,” “Here be sirens.” In their place he wrote the phrase “Here is God”. Mark it down. You will never go where God is not. You may be transferred, enlisted, commissioned, reassigned, or hospitalized, but…brand this truth on your heart…you can never go where God is not. “I am with you always,” Jesus promised (Matthew 28:20)
Because we know that God is with us every step of the way, it makes it much easier to sign over our lives to Him, to go where He calls us to go, to do what He calls us to do. Knowing that it is “God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Philippians 2:13
As God calls you to venture into unknown territory, write over the map of your life “Here is God.”
6 comments :
Oh how I want to faith-ful instead of fear-ful! We talked about this in class Wednesday night. We fail to trust God with EVERYTHING in our lives and we become fearful and sinful when simply being faithful would solve so much! Thanks Missy!
God lives in Ohio and Michigan too.
I love the way Max Lucado wields an analogy. And I love how you internalize and apply, so that others can too. Love ya, Friend.
Hsy Sista!
God's Here and so am I, finally! I love your blog! I listened to you sing and laughed about your blue jeans! Can't wait to see you soon!
Love you!
Beth
P.S. You write very well!
"Here is God" ... I LOVE it! How can I possibly be full of fear if I write THAT on the map of my life? Since getting married and being uprooted from New Mexico, my "map" has looked very different and taken me to territories unknown. Thanks for this blog and reminding me that HERE IS GOD. You are a blessing!
Into unknown territory...and beyond.
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