 A few weeks ago, I found myself peddling the Walmart aisles for a graduation card. Honestly, I didn’t give it much effort. I knew my friend didn’t care about the type of card. Hallmark? A piece of paper folded hamburger style with stick people? He didn’t care. And neither did I. Until I found the perfect one: a card based on the book “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!” by Dr. Seuss.
I’m not so sure if he likes Dr. Seuss. But I do. The creative illustrations, catchy wordplay, and rhythmic flow awaken my inner-child. But there’s something special about “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!” Consider a couple of quotes.  Decisions can be daunting. As I get older, I find myself facing more and more decisions. Knowing my decisions lay the foundation for my future, I often find myself afraid of messing up.
The natural thing to do when faced with a decision is to talk about it with someone else. But I’m learning an important lesson: people usually don’t know the answer. For the past several weeks, I’ve been contemplating a big decision. Naturally, I’ve discussed this decision with numerous people. However, different people give me different responses. One person says this, and another person says that. In other words, if I listen to every voice, I find myself in a handful of different situations at the same time. And that means confusion.  Last Friday, I found myself depressed. I opened God’s Word, and He began speaking this message to my heart. I pray it helps someone.
“After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, ‘Do you want to go away as well?’ Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God’” (John 6:66-69 ESV). I’m drawn to this story. Why? Because I find myself pondering Peter’s question: “Lord, to whom shall we go?”  Do you ever feel like God is against you?
I’m not talking about your sin. I’m not talking about your wrong thoughts, actions, and intentions. I’m talking about you as a person. Do you ever feel like God is against you? You may feel like God is against you, but that’s not what the Bible says: “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31 NKJV). Why, then, do we feel like God is against us?  We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps” (Prov. 16:9 NLT).
Take one step at a time. Don’t be so concerned about the future that you miss today. Don’t allow your mind to wander so far ahead of time that you can’t focus on following God’s daily love in your life. God knows your future. God has written your story. Take your time. Take it easy. It’s only a matter of time before God’s blessings begin to take a fuller shape. This is so difficult for me. |