Hello ICC Family!
The holiday season is over and people are going back to work and taking down their Christmas decorations. As I am writing this, both my father and my daughter are on the road. We had a great couple of weeks together. Dad and I finally checked off some of the local tourist spots that I had not seen yet during our first year here. I will have to tell you about those in the weeks to come. Dad is driving all the way back to Wichita, Kansas and my daughter is driving south down to West Palm Beach, Florida. They will be in the car and on the road all day, and I will be trying not to worry about either of them all day!
There are a lot of differences between making long road trips these days versus when we were kids… There were no Buc-ee’s to stop at back then. Most places that you stopped at you wanted to spend as little time as possible in. Today, a Buc-ee’s stop will add an hour to any trip if you aren’t careful. Another big difference is the variety of entertainment options available to everyone in the car. Most places in Kansas you had a few AM radio stations and whatever cassette tapes you could find in your glove box. One of them was bound to be Willie Nelson so On the Road Again was played frequently. Today… well, you can listen to, watch, and play everything you can at home right on your phone. Very few people are playing the license plate game, I imagine. The biggest difference, however, might be that you and all of your family and friends can know at every moment exactly where you are. At this moment I know that my dad is passing through Alma, Arkansas and my daughter is going through Melbourne, Florida. That is amazing! If you know where you are, then it is really difficult to get lost!
If we apply that same principal spiritually, that is why it is really important to be a good student of your own life. You need to know where you are with God. To take the time to examine how you are doing with the Lord and your walk with him. Not because you can make him love you any more than He already does. Not because you are trying to earn more blessing from him. But simply in order to know if you are still on the road and making progress! That you are still pressing on to know him better and walk in obedience! Knowing where we are involves being honest with ourselves and God. It will lead us to feel conviction for our sin which leads us to repent and ask forgiveness. It also helps us to know what changes need to be made so we can make resolutions that are going to lead to growth and fruit in our lives.
Knowing where we are doesn’t mean that place is necessarily where we want to be or thought we would be. We make wrong turns sometimes, and it might take a while to get back heading in the right direction. And then there are times when God has a different journey entirely for us than the one we had planned. One that maybe takes a lot longer, or is way more exciting or dangerous, or perhaps costs a lot more than we had planned. But one that ends up exactly where we need to go, nonetheless.
Best of all we can remember that even if we are completely confused and don’t know where we are… God does. He knows and cares for you and will help you get straightened out if you just ask him. Let’s remember that as we move forward into 2024 together!
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11
Blessings to you all!
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