Have you ever felt that you really weren’t off/away from the path and plans the Lord has for you… you just weren’t ON the path? Perhaps you (are) were walking parallel to the path so that meant you sometimes were in the ditch or brambles and the terrain was very uneven. Sometimes you may have slipped and gotten mud all over yourself. Sometimes you began walking on what you considered was solid ground only to discover that it veered one way or another and typically led to a rabbit trail. Been there? In my case I think it’s too many times to count.
Sooo how did that make you feel? Frustrated? Angry (person or ‘thing’ of said anger not acknowledged)? Confused? (Fill in your feeling) Did you happened to review when your misstep occurred? The Why and How? Did you consider when you realized your error? Then what did you do? Is this an experience you’ve encountered more than once? [I’ll stop, though not finished with, all the questions.] But… at some point you do have to do something.
Let me share a little ‘wisdom’ that I’ve discovered… seeing is a big part of who we are, where we are. And seeing is based in our quest to be who our Lord would want us to be. Example: the Lord said that He came to give us life, and life abundantly. How do you define ‘abundantly’? If it is only material things then I think you aren’t seeing, don’t have the right perspective. However, if you define the word in spiritual terms then you begin to see the vast abundance the Lord was referring to.
Our seeing is based on how much we ‘allow’ the Lord to work in our lives… then the more we see. Paul phrases this as:
” I have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith [by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting] in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” [Galatians 2:20]
I’ve come to believe that the Lord would never force Himself upon us – He gave us free will… even the will to not accept His gift. He never ‘makes’ people believe, He provides the opportunity. And then – it’s up to us. Do we want to grow, to become, to share who the Lord is in our lives and invite others into the same family? The moment you do, you are no longer lost. You have a family, you have purpose, you have fruitfulness, you have abundance.
Even when we Are already part of the family, the found, there are moments of ‘lost’ when we get blindsided by our enemy, or go off on some rabbit trail that turns into a dense forest. Do NOT worry because you are never out of the sight of our Father. He always knows. While He gives us opportunity to discover our plight, He also provides ways for us to return. He tells us many times and also provides examples of His Word that says: “I will never leave you or forsake you.” [Hebrews 13:5] In my mind, when we come to our senses and realize and call for help, that He gently leads us back to the spot where we went astray and then leads us forward.
My bottom line is that where we are is our decision. If we choose to be lost, then we will be. If we choose the Lord’s gift we enter into a marvelous journey of being found.
