The discussion has been ongoing about the proper balance between seeing things far away and up close. It is important to live within an appropriate balance of viewing life:  knowing that our LATER is coming while living in the NOW with accurately remembering the PAST.

We move forward by looking forward.  Being stuck or staying still in this particular stage of life is not a healthy option- we do age and life, unfortunately, does carry on.  To move forward, it is important to glance back at our past to see where we have come from-not stare at it continually, analyzing every choice or action because looking back too much always keeps you from moving forward.

     What we do NOW has an impact on what we do, who we become and what happens LATER.

What we do now reaps a harvest of reward/blessings later OR consequences later.

Absolutely no pressure with that kind of thinking, is there?

How many plug the address into Google Maps and the little magical voice tells you where  and when to turn so you can get to where you are going?

That voice is super important isn’t it?? Don’t we even turn down the volume on the radio to hear her better? Don’t people stop talking in the car so they can pay closer attention to that exact moment of when to turn?

I also like the part of my phone GPS that shows the picture of when to turn and which direction even if that turn is not going to happen for twenty more miles, I still like to know I need to be thinking about a lane change!

To maneuver through unfamiliar territory, on a journey you have never been on, it is good to have that little voice and/or written direction…isn’t it?

Well…aren’t we lucky to have a “little voice” and a “map” to help us while we travel through our own lives trying to get to the end of our destination- our life journey!

What do you think they are?

and the

My question must be, then, when on a trip what good are voice instructions and a map if we refuse to use them?

For those who like to live on the wild side and “just wing it” when going places, I must add that I do recognize that we do get lucky sometimes and get to where we are going without instructions.

          BUT  is “luck” something you are willing to chance when you really need to get somewhere?

Many people do refuse to use the tools provided that will make their journey easier and more enjoyable… if you have survived a road trip with this type of personality- more power to you! Arguments can quickly heat up in these circumstances!

There is an unfortunate saying that “men don’t stop to ask directions”…. most urban myths have to start somewhere so I assume the same can be said with this quote!

I learned this first hand when I took a 2 week road trip with my parents when I was 16-we were looking at colleges while driving to South Carolina to see my brother graduate from the Army boot camp before moving on to Tennessee for some “family fun”. Two weeks: just me and my parents.

Two weeks people.

Two weeks in motels (not hotels, but motels): “are you sure this is the right one, David? Why don’t you ask David? I told you to ask someone David. Amy, see how your dad doesn’t listen to me-you tell him to ask someone if this is the right place”. No internet, no cell phones, no GPS…they used maps and road signs as we maneuvered through the twisty- turns of the Smoky Mountains …

Again I say…with my parents only. Me….my mom…and my dad…when I was 16.

Good times. LOTS of memories- not all bad and most we can laugh about now!

Thankfully, we have a ‘map’ right in front of us, at our fingertips even, and yet the Bible is as overlooked as something that provides instruction as my dad seeking out directions. It is not seen as “good” reading material or something that can be understood or useful. It’s seen as complicated. Boring. Long. Hard to understand. Not pertinent to living in today’s world.

We also have a “little GPS voice” -the Holy Spirit-  to prompt us to do good, to watch out, to “stay away from there”, to tell us we are loved, that says we are enough, that we are good, that assures us we are wanted and needed just as we are. But this voice is being silenced by the sounds that are all around us crowding it out.

Sounds like we can be travelling with a lot of potentially “lost” people, doesn’t it?

Sounds to me like we could easily get lost ourselves if we can’t hear the directions or see the map.

What happens when you get lost on a trip or in some unfamiliar area?

• Panic sets in, anxiety, fear
• People get angry or irritated-arguing begins
• Chaos ensues when people begin to wander aimlessly, lost, or with no purpose

Being lost does not sound fun.

In Part 2, this verse was shared-

Ephesians 1:18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future for which He has called you.

“SO THAT YOU CAN UNDERSTAND THE WONDERFUL FUTURE FOR WHICH HE-GOD– HAS CALLED YOU TO”

That sounds like the opposite of lost and wandering aimlessly!

Jesus tried to explain to those that were following Him how lost people are because they do not know God the Father. He called them blind but the saddest thing about it was that the  people did not know it. He called them sheep without a shepherd but without having a clue that they were lost.

The religious people in His day thought they had all the answers; they thought they knew all they needed to know.

In our day of 24/7 internet, we have that instant gratification of knowledge at the tip of our fingertips to give us information, and ye there are many who think that they too know all they need to know…there is a belief that the Bible doesn’t have anything new in it to tell them…that their parents or teachers don’t have anything of importance to tell them…that I don’t have anything to tell you…Many think that although you may go to church or school or are well read  but you don’t have to really listen…what do you possibly have to learn after all?

In John 10, Jesus explains that HE is the voice (the shepherd) that His people (His sheep) recognize and follow Him. That those who KNOW Him will not follow any other because they KNOW HIM as the ONE who gathers His flock to Him and keeps them safe.

That made no sense to the religious leaders.

It makes no sense to many people today either.

Jesus tried again to explain Himself by saying that there are those who try to sneak around, to take the easy hidden way, to get the sheep (people) to trust them. They will lie, cheat, steal, manipulate to convince those that will listen to follow them instead of their shepherd-the one who keeps them safe.

Those that know the shepherds voice, they stand strong in their pen. They stand strong in their persecution. They stand strong in their oppression. They stand strong in their fear, their anxiety, their insecurities…why? Because they know the voice of their shepherd-the One that keeps them safe.

Then there are those who don’t recognize the shepherd…the sad thing is-these sheep are living where they should know Him plain as other’s  know me to be my son’s mom (he is a mini-me in boy form)…but they are confused or conflicted about who to follow: their shepherd or this other one who looks and sounds pretty good.

This is happening in our  lives today-we have our Shepherd trying to give us instruction and then we have the “other voice” creeping in trying to tell us something different.

This voice tells us:

    We are ugly.

    We are stupid.

    We don’t matter.

    No one will love us.

    We will never succeed.

   Our kids will make the same mistakes we made no matter what.

    We will never be happy.

John 10:11-13 the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. ¹¹“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹²The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. ¹³The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

Jesus has come so we can have life to the FULL…abundant life… He loved us enough to die for us to have it.

We can CHOOSE life at any time. We can choose to follow our Shepherd that keeps us safe. We can listen to His voice that will never put us in harm’s way.

Believing in Jesus is one thing…living for Jesus is EVERYTHING.