The Navigator

When I first started driving I remember using paper maps and road atlases to plan trips.  The disadvantage was that those did not update.  They couldn’t tell me where the constructions zones were located or give me real-time data about accidents and congested traffic.  I would have to buy updated maps every couple of years to see new roads that had been built.

With the internet came Google® Maps, which changed the way I planned my trips.  The nice thing about online maps was that I could see the distance for different routes without having to pull out a ruler and measure between the starting and ending points on the map.  I could compare different routes with a click of a button and decide which one was best for me. The main disadvantage of using online maps was that it required me to plan ahead so I could print the route in advance to take with me.

Eventually with advances in technology, came access to navigation systems.  I am not one of those people who are the first to have all the new gadgets so I’ve never had a navigation system in my car, but I did start using a navigator app on my cellphone a few years ago.  I can type a destination in my app and get turn-by-turn directions to any location.  I can see alternate routes to consider and get information about the traffic or construction along my route.  If I miss a turn, the app will recalculate the route and help me get back on track to my destination.  I find that I don’t worry about figuring out the route on a trip now.  I can get in the car and trust the navigator to direct me to where I need to go. 

According to the dictionary, a navigator is a person who guides you along a route.  His job is to know the map, identify the possible routes, pick the best one to take, and keep an eye on factors that affect the journey.  Once we become a Christian, we have access to the ultimate Navigator who will guide us along our path in life.  We aren’t left on our own to navigate life’s journey.  We have a guide who knows all and sees all.  He is our Helper, the Holy Spirit, who the Father sent to teach us all things and to remind us of all Jesus said (John 14:26) and did for us.

We all have ideas about how we want our life to go, but those ideas are based on our limited view and perceptions.  If we will put our trust in God to determine the path we should take, then He will not forsake us (Psalm 9:10).  The Holy Spirit dwells within us so when God searches our heart, He sees the Holy Spirit.  When we don’t know how we should pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. (Romans 8:26-27) That is such a comforting thought to me.  When we are so overwhelmed and too weak to take another step and we don’t even know what to pray, then we can come before the Lord and just be silent as the Holy Spirit communicates with the Father in a way that words cannot express.  

The Holy Spirit is the type of navigator I want in my life.  He knows the Father’s plan.  He sees the difficulties ahead and knows how to avoid them or to walk through them with me.  He knows if I should take the fastest route, avoid the toll roads, or take a side trip.  I have learned that by trusting the Navigator and not my own plans (Proverbs 3:5-6) then my path is better than I could have ever imagined.  God’s route is always filled with the best for me.  It may not be the easiest, but it makes me into the person He wants me to be. I know that because He began a good work in me and will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ when I reach my destination. (Philippians 1:6) To get there I just have to listen to the Navigator and follow his turn-by-turn directions. 

Check back next time to take a look at how we learn to recognize the Navigator’s voice.

Starting the Pursuit

Church camp was an important part of my life growing up.  From 1^st grade through my early twenties, I attended camp every summer, except maybe one.  I went from being a camper to a counselor to a teacher.  It was the highlight of my summers and had a major impact on my Christian growth through the years. 

There was one simple activity one summer that shaped how I viewed life from that point on.  I don’t think I realized the full impact of it at the time, but I knew it was important.  Now 30 years later, it will serve as the starting point and theme for this blog. 

In class this particular summer, the teacher asked us to make a timeline showing the highs and the lows of our life.  Now as a young teenager, there wasn’t much to put on the timeline – birth, starting school, becoming a Christian, dad losing his job, moving to a new town, new church, new school.  My timeline kind of looked like a strange EKG readout, but then I started thinking about that line which represented my life.  I don’t remember if the teacher asked us to think about how we viewed life from birth to death or if I did that on my own, but I began to consider life as a journey on a path from birth to eternity.

I remember actually drawing out a path on a piece of paper.  At the bottom it started with “Birth” and at the top it ended with “Heaven,” which is where I knew I would spend eternity as a Christian.  I had heard a lot about the “straight and narrow” so the path was a fairly straight line from bottom to top, but I added paths that went off to the left or right.  One came to an abrupt end in a forest of trees.  One went through a desert and stopped.  Another one went over a mountain and disappeared.  A fourth one wound around for a while and then joined back with the straight path.  I remember thinking I wanted to stay on the straight path, which was God’s plan for me.  I didn’t want to get lost in a forest of sin or face a mountain of hardships or even take a detour that might make me miss a blessing from God before I came back to the straight path.

As I have experienced life and matured as a Christian my viewpoint about the path being straight and narrow has changed, but my perspective of life being a journey on a path has not.  One of my favorite verses is Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV) “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” I want God’s best for my life, but that doesn’t equate to a smooth and easy life on that straight and narrow path.  God says in Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”  If life was easy, then God wouldn’t need to tell me to not be dismayed or that he will strengthen me.  I find it comforting to know that he has thoughts about my life and is always with me regardless of where I am on my path.  I still believe Jesus when he says in John 10:10b, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”  I know I can put my life in God’s hands and my journey will be better than I could ever imagine.

As I start this blog, I want to start at the beginning of everyone’s faith journey.  At some point, we each must make the decision about where our destination will be for eternity. On our own, we fall short of being able to make it to Heaven, but John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”  According to Romans 10:9, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” I want to encourage everyone to consider whether they have made that decision and asked Jesus to be their Lord and Savior.  If not, let God know that you recognize you are a sinner and that you believe Jesus gave his life as the perfect sacrifice to cover your sins.  Ask him to take your sins and to become your Lord. Then we can begin pursuing the Master’s path together.

In future posts, I would like to share with you how my viewpoint of my path has changed and grown. I will also share about all the different terrains I have walked through and there have been lots.  I can’t say that I have handled each leg of my journey in the best way, but I can say I have learned from them.  I would love for you to check back for more posts often and share them if you feel they are worth reading.  I welcome your comments about your journey along your path.

Until next time, keep pursuing the Master's path.

Image courtesy of Tuomas_Lehtinen at FreeDigitalPhotos.net