Dec 5th - signposts

My head is buzzing with the blog thoughts of the past few days.  There is a thread running through them all but I can't quite put my finger on exactly what it is.  The reign of Jesus and the name of Jesus are inextricably linked........ but it is a bit of a mystery.  Something to chew on over the coming days 😀    In the meantime I want to just quickly go back to Megan and Harry and ask that you try to remember to pray for them both as she goes through confirmation classes.  What an extraordinary opportunity for the Spirit of God to convict and convince and reveal to the pair of them that they are loved and chosen and called by name.   I have no idea whether Megan has had any sort of faith or belief at all, but she seems to be a smart and clear thinking young woman - so let's pray that God reveals His truth to her and that through all the preparations for her marriage she gets to know Him personally.

So.......

Signposts.   The topic for today. 

I was working in a small village in the middle of nowhere yesterday.  It's a nursery school I've been Jo Jingling in a few times this term and usually I go down the dual carriageway and turn off and wind my way through a few country roads and then come home the same way.  But yesterday I decided that rather than go straight home I would go and visit Gladys in hospital  ( my 93 yr old best buddy had a fall a couple of days ago and gashed her leg rather nastily so she is being kept in for a couple of days).    I didn't know the best way to get from the nursery school to the hospital.  My phone doesnt do sat nav / google maps stuff  so I was left to work it out using common sense and signposts.

I knew the general direction I needed to be headed in.  And I presumed that as I got onto the main roads there would be signposts.   Silly me! 

There were, of course, signposts.  Just not to the place I wanted to go.  So I headed towards a town I knew was basically in the right direction - but it wasn't until I'd been driving for a good twenty minutes that I finally saw a sign to the hospital.   Northern Ireland is such a small place that it really is impossible to get properly lost - but driving along small country roads in unfamiliar territory one has in the back of ones mind that there might have been a more direct route - or that you are going round in circles - or that you might end up a good few miles away from where you thought you would end up.    Had the signposts been clearer...... or more prevalent...... or something....

I got there in the end without any hassle.  Trusting in my own sense of direction and instinct until I picked up the signposts I don't think I made any silly bunny trails round the wilderness.   But it did make me think about this life journey I'm on.
Destination ' be more like Jesus'
sat nav ' I am the Way'
signposts ' follow me' and ' this is the way walk in it'.

I think sometimes I expect God to give me a signpost every ten steps along the way.  But He doesn't.  Mostly He leaves me to trust in my own sense of direction and common sense.  He only really puts the signposts in the places where there is a chance that I will go in the wrong direction ; where there's a fork in the road or a crossroads.   And even then, I don't really need a sign if the direction is straight ahead.  I only need one if I'm to make a turn.   How many times have I sat with my head in my hands asking God to show me what to do and where to go and wondered why I didn't seem to hear anything much?   Perhaps it was because I was going in the right direction and He didn't feel the need to jump out at the side of the road and tell me that.

And then of course occasionally there's a signpost along the way which I really don't want to see.  Turning me off an unhelpful road I'm travelling down and back onto the narrow path.  There have been a couple of memorable times in my life when God has been yelling at me to stop, turn round, go back.  The first time He did it I decided to ignore Him.  I thought I knew best.  Temptation was too strong and I blocked out the voice and went on my own way regardless.   Needless to say at the end of that road there was heartache and disappointment and lots of wasted time and energy.   It is amazing how stubborn we can be when we really set our minds to it!  ( reminds me of this 60 second bit of nonsense courtesy of Steve Martin)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkcKQmr7kRc

Thankfully God doesn't give up on us even when we wilfully ignore Him.   He chases after us, picks up the pieces, cleans us up and sets us back on track again.The second time I found myself heading off down a similar road I was better at hearing the warnings, seeing the signs and recognising that I was headed for a cliff edge. 

So if today you are sitting waiting for direction and not hearing anything much - maybe that's because you are on the right road and you just need to keep on going.  You will get a sign when you really need one.   But God trusts you.  He has given you a sense of direction and a vehicle of faith.  So maybe you just need to keep fuelled up and keep on going forward.    And if you know that God has already spoken and you are ignoring Him, wanting to go your own way,  fighting His call.......... well, all I can advise is that you tell someone about it.  Get some help to make good choices.  It is hard, but nothing like as hard as having to turn round twenty five miles further down the road and come all the way back again.

Lord Jesus ,  thank you that You are the Way.  You show us the way, You direct our steps, You make our paths clear and You go before us.  Thank you for speaking to us when we need direction and hope.  Thank you for forgiving us when we stop listening and get lost.  Thank you that you are the good shepherd who seeks out lost sheep and brings them home.   Keep us on the right road and lead us to the Father's heart.   Amen