September 11: Insight Post by Michael Thayer
Friday Insight Post
by Michael Thayer
I don’t know about you, but when I am confused about a situation and what to do, my natural tendency can be to rely on my own resources – the knowledge I have accumulated during my 56 years of life on this earth, my access to Google, my own strength to power through a situation and find a solution to a problem, using hard work and grit. As I have become older and (hopefully) a bit wiser, I can look back and see that when I have gone that route and relied only on those resources, it has not served me particularly well and usually does not produce the desired result. It certainly has not strengthened my relationship with God.
When I have asked for God’s guidance and listened for his voice, sought the wise counsel of those who have walked their path of life with the Lord, pursued His direction through reading the Bible and through prayer, I have found that the Lord revealed important truths and opportunities I would never have thought of if I had depended only on the set of self-reliant resources I mention above. God has made a way and provided for me through paths I could not have imagined. He has guided me along paths that have not always been easy, but that have brought me closer in my relationship with Him, which is what He desires for all of us.
Regardless of our goal, I believe the ultimate goal of the guidance from the wisdom of the book of Proverbs expressed in our reading this week is to draw us near to God, again and again, as we navigate life:
5Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5–6 (NLT)
What do I mean by again and again? Well, in my life, as in many of yours I am sure, I have not just experienced one decision point resulting in God setting me straight on a single route. Instead, my life is a series of decisions and forks on the proverbial path.
It reminds me of a park near my home, where I frequently bike or walk, preferably on beautiful, cool fall mornings like we’ve had in recent days. As I travel down the path, there are smaller paths to the left and right, a service road that if taken could lead me in another direction. Just the other morning, I came across a muddy detour beaten in the woods by my fellow path-takers that navigated around a large tree that had fallen during last week’s powerful storms and blocked the main paved path. I saw that the tree had caused some to give up and stop their journey (or run, or walk) and turn around, and others to climb over and through about 30 feet of downed limbs and leaves. I was fortunate to have kind souls offer to help me lift my bike over a large tree trunk that was a natural high hurdle (one guy mentioned it was like steeplechase), suspended a couple feet in the air.
My life has been and continues to be a lot like that bike path – a main route with a series of potential diversions that could be good, bad, or seemingly neutral choices as well as unexpected difficulties that must be overcome. If I seek God’s guidance and wisdom and draw near to Him through regularly asking Him for direction during prayer, remaining in community with His followers, and spending regular time in the Word, He will help me to navigate life’s many choices. He will lead me to walk with Him through the many challenges, diversions, and downed trees of life in ways that can bring peace, purpose, and truth throughout my journey.
Michael Thayer
Leadership Team Member