The Plumbline

“But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold. For I have stayed on God’s paths; I have followed his ways and not turned aside." ( Job 23:10-11   NLT ) When we are in the thick of things, we probably don't even think God knows what direction we are headed! The chaos of the issues bombarding us on all sides just leaving us with questions, uncertain outcomes, and decisions too numerous for us to even think about some days. We just cannot possibly imagine any other "disaster" that can come our ways, only to be broad-sided by something totally unexpected. Could it just be WE don't know where we are going at the moment, but that God has all things perfectly orchestrated and the outcomes already well under his control? The key isn't that we know the destination, it is that we stay on course. To be totally transparent here, there have been more than a few times that if God had showed me clearly where it was I was headed ...

Robert Schuller once said, "Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines." Many times we look at a problem as something that will stop us right in our tracks - impeding our ability to move any further until that problem is removed. The "removal" of the problem may be a whole lot bigger than the progress we would actually make by removing it, though! I have a corner fireplace that is brick from floor to ceiling. It takes up a great deal of "space" in the room and makes that corner basically non-functional since we don't burn fires. I'd much rather "remove" it and have the space to spread out the furniture in the room, but to do so would be so much more work than the added square footage would benefit me! What little I'd gain by "removing the problem" wouldn't actually be worth the expense or the effort. There are times when the problem is best left and we just allow ourselves to be "guided" in how we deal wi...