Uncharted Territory
Uncharted Territory
At the beginning of 2006 Penny and I gave up our home of 9 years, stored all of our worldly possessions, loaded two suitcases in our car and took off. We "hit the road" to obey God and to be more available to Him along whatever lines of service and ministry seemed best to Him. I think we anticipated spending a significant part of the year overseas, returning by the end of last year to "settle down" and set up home again.
Well, here we are ... still out "on the road", a little wiser in some respects, but still feeling inspired to continue to pursue this most interesting and challenging call and lifestyle.
In some respects we feel like travellers whose maps ran out quite a while ago. We're now in uncharted territory ... so far as we are concerned. But, not so far as the Lord is concerned.
"For we walk by faith, not by sight or appearance." (2 Corinthians 5.7)
"We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Corinthians 4.18)
As long as God leads, we will do our best to follow.
The photograph below is of a little-known side-road in New Zealand. Hundreds of cars hurtle past it every day, never seeing its signs. And yet for me it is the junction which leads to one of the most important places in the world. It reminds me that large, flashing, neon signs usually point to nothing more than our gross fascination with superficial novelty ... even concerning matters of the spirit.
More often than not God is happy to test our hearts by disguising His greatest treasures in brown-paper and string parcels. We merrily parrot "all that glitters is not gold", but then tear off like crows in pursuit of every tiny flash and sparkle.
Oftentimes it is the faded sign obscured by overgrown hedges, and the crude, meandering, dirt track which will most surely lead us "home".
"And I will lead the blind in a way that they know not; in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I will do, and I will not forsake them." (Isaiah 42.16)
