Do you know ‘the way?’

This is the third post of a series I’m doing. Links for the first two posts are at the end of this article.

Let’s take a minute to recap. There is a common something or someone that seems to be drawing us in. Like the power of a black hole, nothing can escape its pull as it draws everything into itself. What is this mysterious force pulling at us? Do we want to go where it’s taking us? Is it safe to go? How do we determine if it’s even the right force to give in to? Do we even have a choice in the matter?

Luke felt the force, so did Darth Vader. Both were forces, one good one bad. If there is a force, or multiple forces, how are we supposed to pick up on them? Or better yet, how are we to completely tune into them? I imagine it’s similar to tuning into a radio station. As we’re first learning, it’s like tuning into one of those far away stations when you’re driving through the middle of nowhere, mostly static with a faint burst of something semi discernible. As we get better at listening it will become more like tuning into one of the high-powered stations when you’re in a big city.

Tuning in is key in both examples, otherwise you’re just moving through life with your radio off. This brings up another interesting point. Radio signals are all around us. Unseen waves transmitting all sorts of information every second. These signals go completely unnoticed by you unless you have a way to catch them out of thin air and turn them into something recognizable. Sounds similar to the magnetism discussed in my last post.

Magnetism, just like radio waves, is an unseen force that is all around us every second of every day. It isn’t until you have an instrument designed to tune into these forces that you gain greater understanding of their presence. A radio receiver in the case of radio waves, and a compass in the case of magnetism. Compasses unlike radios however, are susceptible to providing false information.

By now you’ve likely caught on to the point I’m making. Each and every single person on this planet has an internal guidance system whose purpose is to lead us somewhere. This system within you is something that requires several things to work correctly. You first need to know it exists. Then you need to become familiar with using it. You need to understand what can cause it to work incorrectly. Lastly, you need to follow it.

I posed three questions in my last post and said I’d answer them myself. Hopefully you thought about them yourself. If not I encourage you go back and do so before reading my responses.

What outside influences are causing your internal compass to be off?

Pressure, mostly from myself, often from society, and very seldom from family and friends. These three influences seem to work in tandem. The pressure I place on myself finds its root in comparison. I compare my life to the life of others and to the life society says I should be living. This will be the topic of my fourth (and next) post.

What will you use to recalibrate?

Aircraft compasses can be calibrated many ways, the most common of which is something called a compass rose. It’s a trusted marker of true north and all the cardinal directions. It is something known to be true and accurate. The compass rose for my life is someone who is known to be true and accurate, God, or more specifically God, his son Jesus, and the helper who He sent to be our guide, the Holy Spirit.

Where is your destination?

This is a good question, as I’m in the middle of trying to figure it out. I know the general direction but I want to be lined up perfectly with my runway when it’s time to land this proverbial plane. I know God has filed a flight plan for me and it is a much better plan than I could ever come up with on my own. If I don’t tune in and follow my instruments I’m gong to be off course for sure.

This is a topic I am so passionate about that here and now is not enough space for me to elaborate on it. I’ll get to it in do time. Just know this, God has great plans for you and I both. When we seek to tune into His ever-present force in our lives we help ensure we’re being lined up to hit our target in life. There’s no better place to be than that.

Do you feel unsure of the direction you’re heading in life? Have any unmet desires that you’d love to see fulfilled? Are your talents and time being put to the best use possible? If you feel any of these, leave a comment and let me know. If anything, it’ll provide encouragement to others to see they are not alone in this journey called life.

Read my first two posts by clicking on the titles: Is everyone saying the same thing? and Compass deviation.