When I was a kid, my parents would allow me to ride my bike two miles to a nearby river where I liked to fish. One day, I decided to take a shortcut that a friend had told me about. The further I went down my new path, the more anxious I became. The river was nowhere in sight, and I had no clue where I was. Instinctively, I just kept peddling faster and faster in hopes of ending my being lost as quickly as possible. This went on for what seemed like an hour. The road finally dead-ended into a woods. Now I was really scared. As I sat on my bike trying to catch my breath and figure out what to do next, I heard the faint sound of flowing water coming from the woods. I parked my bike and walked about thirty feet into the woods. There it was, the river I had been searching for. This portion of the river was a good two to three miles further north than where I normally fished. I was in uncharted territory, for sure. Given that I had already eaten up almost an hour of my precious fishing time, I decided to try my luck right where I was. And am I glad that I did! I caught twice as many fish that day than I ever caught in my regular spot. I had just found my sure-bet fishing hole for the summer.

Life is like my fishing experience. We plan and we work to try and make our future predictable and secure. Yet, in reality, we really don’t know what lies ahead. When we get scared and anxious, we work even harder to try and get back to the known and familiar, as if somehow where we are is wrong. The truth is, it is not wrong, just unknown. The best thing we can do at these times is turn to the one who knows what lies ahead and trust in him to guide us: Christ Jesus. He knows the way. You are where you are for a reason, and if you trust in Christ, and invite him to saddle up next to you, he will lead you to a life that is far better than you can possibly imagine–even if the journey is really scary and uncertain at times!

Some had lost their way in a barren desert; found no path toward a city to live in. They were hungry and thirsty; their life was ebbing away. In their distress they cried to the Lord, who rescued them in their peril. – Psalms 107:4-6

Originally posted 2014-12-29 06:00:19.