Direction

I am not always really good at taking direction - esp. when it comes to driving directions. I like to try and find things on my own, explore unknown paths, and think I always know where I am going.

But, as I have realized over the years, this is not always the most productive way to get somewhere. More often than not, time is lost when I bypass the directions I am given and try to find places on my own.

I was thinking about that this week as I prepared for the sermon. I was thinking about direction, and how we are all given different directions, different paths of guidance, yet we, at times, ignore this guidance and wind up more lost than we were before.

The beauty of this God that loves us so much taht he gave his life for us, is that he is also a God that is very active in our lives. He empowers us with a wide variety of gifts, and opens our eyes to the ways we can use these gifts to empower and love others.

But we need to put our wills, our desires, our self-made directions to the side and listen to where God is calling us to go and what God is calling us to do. We need to slow down, and ask for direction - in prayer - to more fully understand what it is that God is calling us to be a part of.

So today, as I prepare for worship, my prayers focus on direction - what direction God is calling me to go and what direction God is calling the church to go. For we all need the guidance of God in our lives, and we need to slow down and discern what that direction is that we are given.