The Plumbline

So many of us want to know with a certainty the steps we are taking toward a certain goal are "perfect" and "ordained" as the right steps to be taking. Without this overwhelming sense of assurance, we just don't want to move.  It is like the glue of uncertainty holds us fast in the exact spot we are in until we just finally either give up on ever moving off that spot or just find we no longer have the desire to move.  Uncertainty can have a paralyzing effect if we allow it - but it is 'us' who allow the uncertainty.  A lack of clarity is not from God, it is usually because there is some kind of conflict of emotions within us which give us this internal challenge to know when to move, how to move, where to move.  One thing I have learned is that if I don't take the chance, I may miss the opportunity.  Yes, I have been a little too eager on occasion, kind of paying a little bit of an "extra price" because my timing wasn't perfect, but I ...

I must admit - I like watching these shows where people have to go through extremes to stay alive and survive their "trek" in the wilderness somewhere. They get "dropped" in some remote location with very limited survival gear - one guy actually lives life without shoes and has been dropped in some pretty freezing places without any shoes and only wearing shorts!  I don't really want to be one of these individuals who has to survive in the wilderness with only a length of fishing line, a hook, and a knife.  I really like the comfort of my bed, a warm shower in the morning, and the ability to brush my teeth!  Worrying about what I will eat, where I will shelter from the elements, how to ward off the wild creatures, and the like is just not my cup of tea.  Yet, I find the journey they take and the skills they have developed to be amazingly interesting.  The ability to identify things growing in the wild, foraging for food, and even setting traps to obtain a littl...