Things I'm Thankful For... Part 2: Surprising Direction

As I was thinking about what to write about today, I honestly felt a little lost. Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for so many things. I've been blessed beyond anything I could have ever imagined, but I was somehow stumped. I prayed. I thought. I soul searched. I came up with two thoughts: I'm grateful for direction in my life, but I'm also grateful for the surprises of life that often lead to that direction. So since they go hand-in-hand in my life, they are going hand-in-hand in one entry.

Direction. Something sought by most. It seems that everyone wants to know not only where they're going, but how they're supposed to get there. Be it in careers, relationships, or any other aspect of life. I feel lost if I don't have a destination in mind.

But here's the tricky part: the more I seek a destination, the more lost I feel. The harder I search for, think about, try to know and outright demand a destination, the more I realize I have no idea where I'm going. The more the frustration sets in. For without a destination, I ask myself, how the heck am I supposed to know how to live my life?

Just as I start to give up and feel as if I must wander aimlessly through life, something happens. Something unexpected. Out of the blue. An unforseen bend in the road apears on the horizon, gently nudging me back on the path, of which I can only see what seems to be 2 steps in front of me.

Without fail, this surprise makes me smile. In a way I could have never imagined. And that's what's so wonderful about it.

Psalm 119:105 says "Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." A wise friend once pointed out to me that a lamp unto your feet would only show you what was a couple of steps in front of you. Not the destination. Not the whole path. But just what was up next.

I reflect upon these facts that have been proven true time and time again in my life. Why does it always work that the second I give up on trying to figure it out on my own, that I finally realize I won't know, do I gain just enough clarity to step where I ought to be? I think it's God, knowing that if I knew all that He knew, I'd think I could do it on my own. That I would be arrogant enough to think I could get there without His guidance, without His help. I think the lack of knowing is Him watching out for me, knowing what is best, and taking care of me in ways only He could know how to. It strengthens my faith. It renews my longing for Him. My need for Him. My desperation for Him.

So I'm grateful not only for the direction, but the surprising ways He provides it.

"For some people, God will grant the insight to see that you have your sights set on the wrong thing, that the point of life is not really the goal or destination but the journey." -Kyle Lake, Understanding God's Will