Apples of Gold

One of my Facebook friends sometimes posts a word of the day. This one caught my attention: Coddiwomple-to travel purposefully to an unknown destination. What an apt description of my journey to fulfill God’s plans for my life. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? What are your goals? This type of question tends to stump me when I’m asked to lay out a detailed plan. What a relief to know that although I’m not sure exactly what I’m aiming for, I can coddiwomple my way through and trust God will get me to where I’m supposed to be!

How often are we paralyzed when trying to make a decision out of fear that we will make the wrong choice? Rarely does God speak in a thunderous voice from Heaven, or send an angel to point out our next step-although I find myself wishing He would at times. God’s leading in our lives tends to come in bits and pieces. We might have a general idea of what we were created to do, but rarely do we get GPS directions complete with mile count and turns.

If you drive much at night you are probably as frustrated as I am with the piercing LED headlights that blind you when they hit your mirrors. One commercial even boasts of how these headlights will pierce through the darkness, giving the driver great visibility. Well, if you can see everything but all the other drivers around you cannot see anything that will not end well! Our headlights are designed to allow us to see just a short distance in front of us, sometimes too short when driving conditions are tough. God’s plan for our lives often works in a similar manner.

Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105

On a recent missions trip to Florida our team of ladies was told we needed to be cautious if we walked the wooded path to the shower house after dark. Rattlesnakes and bears were two possible creatures we might find on our path. The first few treks guided only by the thin beam of a flashlight were a tad disconcerting. Perhaps not being able to see anything that was more than a step or two in front of us was actually a blessing. Who knows what was lurking in the shadows or behind the bushes?

Could this be why God chooses to give us a lamp for our feet rather than a floodlight for our futures? At times the path before us is very challenging and knowing exactly what we would need to face to get to the other side could bring us to a screeching halt. You want me to walk through there?

Contrary to the teaching of some, following Jesus is not a trial free existence for those who have enough faith. When we read about what some of the Apostles went through it becomes evident that is not a biblical teaching. Just a glimpse of some of the sufferings Paul experienced makes this clear.

Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. 2 Corinthians 11:25-26

The old murder mystery television series Murder She Wrote weaves a tale of the life of Mrs. Fletcher who seems to constantly run into trouble. Sometimes it is friends or family, and other times just a stranger in her path. I would think being her friend would be in the risky category. Trouble seemed to follow the Apostle Paul as well. I think seeing him boarding a ship that I was traveling on would be concerning.

Being a follower of Jesus is certainly not boring! God calls us to walk in faith as we put one foot in front of the other-at times not even able to see where our next step will land. Great faith is not telling God what to do, but telling yourself that He knows what He is doing.

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1

So we keep moving forward. Our knees might be knocking, our hearts might be hammering but our faith is placed in an unchanging God who always has a plan.

The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand. Psalm 37:23-24

So as we coddiwomple along we might not know what comes next. But we can be absolutely confident God not only knows: He is also directing us along the way.