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Three Encouraging Truths for When Your Feeling Lost
I could hear the whir of the metal lathes in the background. Accompanying the high pitch was an unidentifiable smell. Burnt metal?
I was running an errand for Doc (the hubster) when my senses were assaulted as I waited for a part he needed. The wait was actually a welcome reprieve. Life had been crazy. The forced twiddling of thumbs was as comforting as cocoa on a cold day.
That’s when the sign in the lobby caught my eye.
Lost but headed in the right direction.
I had to stifle an out-loud laugh. Seriously? Did the receptionist pick out the sign? Because I could have sworn God had swept in two minutes prior and placed the sucker right where He knew I’d see it.
He was intimately acquainted with how I’d been feeling the past month, or two…or ten.
I had been feeling lost.
My writing no longer reflected my passion.
An empty nest was looming on the horizon.
The smell of impending change was as pungent as the smell of burnt metal.
My observations brought me no comfort. Instead, I felt like a traveler holding a spinning compass.
You too?
If you’re going through a season in which you desire change (or you know that change is eminent) perhaps these three truths will encourage you.
#1 When we ask God for direction we can trust Him to give it
When we’re serious about pursuing God’s will for our lives He’s serious about helping us find it.
The hard part is that the sign may or may not be “fire from heaven”. We may have to quiet our minds, still our hearts and lasso our crazy schedules if we want to hear from Him. Some of God’s greatest biblical revelations came in the form of a whisper.
Not only does God tend to whisper His directions He provides them on His timetable.
When direction seems slow in coming I try to remember how short a year looks to an eternal God. Still, it’s hard so when waiting breeds discouragement we need to cling to principle number two.
#2 God is in control and we can trust Him with outcomes
When the heavens seem silent and we wonder if anyone is listening, the roots of our faith have a choice to make. They can shrivel or they can go deep.
I’ve lived out both scenarios. I can say with authority that the shrivel option never landed me in a good spot.
One of my favorite verses says:
Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1
Hope is is life-sustaining. What’s interesting to me is what God has done to my definition of hope.
When I’m lost and looking for direction He’s been teaching me to focus less on “the thing I hope for” and more on the “the thing He hopes for me”. I’ve learned that my own heart isn’t trustworthy. His is. Which brings me to the third and final principle. The one which trumps the others.
#3 God loves us and is always for us
