You Can Go Your Own Way

Are you singing now?  Are you twirling around in your best Stevie Nicks impression?  Good deal, you're welcome!

Don't we like to do things our way?  Burger King used to encourage us to have it our way.  Starbucks for sure does - you can customize your coffee to ninth degree.  Oh, and Sonic! Sonic says they have 168,000 different drink combinations.  My favorite is Diet Green Tea with Strawberry. 

It can be hard to go GOD's way.  The world's way can seem easier, faster and more fun.  To be honest, sometimes GOD's way is like being on an endless road trip.  When will we ever get there? When will we enter the promised land?  When does our dream come true?

Often, we want to go our own way and GOD's way at the same time.  We want to tell GOD how He's to fulfill the dream in our heart. That's as much a recipe for disaster as going the world's way.

Did your momma ever tell you "when I'm good and ready, that's when".  Mine did.  And so does GOD. 

I'll tell you a secret: GOD is GOD and you and I are not.  He knows everything.  We know a fraction of a very very little.  While we feel like we're on the endless road trip, we're really picking up things we need along the way, all by His design.  We're learning new skills we'll need for the dream.  We're learning endurance.  We're learning grace.  We're learning patience. 

But mostly, we're learning trust.  We're learning to trust the One who put the dream in our heart.  To trust the One that knows every hair on our head.  The One who knit us in our mother's womb. 

Of course this is a day to day trust.  It's something we know in our minds, that we can trust GOD with everything, but our hearts and stomachs need reminding on the regular.  And we're not alone.  The Bible is full of stories of heroes of the faith who needed reassurance.  Last week I stumbled on some verses in Exodus that opened my eyes and provided that reassurance again. 

 Did you catch it?  The last half of verse 17

GOD took them the long way because He knew if they took the shortcut, they'd turn back.  It's the same with us. He knows us. He knows our hearts, our desires and our weaknesses.  He's accounted for all that.  So trust Him.  Trust Him that every no is a protection.  Trust Him that He loves you enough to make sure you're adequately prepared for the promised land.  Trust Him!