Check Your Compass

The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. Genesis 12: 1–2 (NLT)

I was trying to get out of the city. I remember taking turn after turn, yet ending up in the same place. The longer this went, the more frustrated I became. Eventually, after a few deep breaths, consulting with a friend, and being intentional to take it slow and follow the road signs, I made it to the interstate. Mind you, this experience was back before we all had immediate access to GPS on our smartphones to be the compass guiding us to our destination. For the times when we feel directionally challenged and are struggling to find our way somewhere, GPS has been a Godsend. Generally, I don’t have too much trouble with navigation, but that day I got myself so tangled up in a web of frustration that I was misreading simple signs that were providing the direction I needed.

When it comes to travel, GPS has simplified the process of navigation in a way that, years ago, people never would have imagined. If we know where we want to go and have the means to get there (car, truck, ATV, plane, train, etc.), then all we have to do is input an address and voila!, step-by-step instructions are provided along the entire route. Have you ever found yourself thinking how nice it would be if the Lord provided these types of instructions for our spiritual journey? I know I have answered yes to that question before. Okay, Jesus, I hear you. But, can you help me out here, please? I know what you’re asking me to do and where you’re calling me to go, but I just need a little more detail. Could you just map it out for me like a connect the dots worksheet? Okay, great. That would be super helpful, thank you. Oh, wait. We all know stepping out in faith doesn’t work that way. Just ask Abraham.

It states in Genesis 12: 1–2, “The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others (NLT).’” Can you imagine being Abraham? He was given all these promises from the Lord, but without any further instruction. If you’ve read the story contained within the Bible, you know how things turn out for him, so it’s easy to believe we would have been immediately obedient as Abraham was. It’s really difficult for me to wrap my human brain around the courage and trust it took for Abraham to go when God called, especially when he didn’t know where the Lord was taking him! I don’t know about you, but, almost always, I prefer to know my route before I set out on the journey. Without a destination, my compass is rendered useless, leaving me feeling as though I’m wandering around aimlessly without purpose, taking turn after turn and ending up in the same place. Sound familiar? But what I have come to understand is that our destination isn’t a place, it is a person. If we consider the direction of our lives relative to the person of Jesus rather than a specific endpoint, it will permanently change the trajectory of our path.

In Tyndale’s NLT Life Application Study Bible (Tyndale, 5/4/20, pg. 24), the footnotes for Genesis 12:2 states, “God promised to bless Abram and make him famous, but God had one condition: Abram had to do what God wanted him to do. This meant leaving his home and friends and traveling to a new land where God promised to build a great nation from Abram’s family. Abram obeyed, walking away from his home for God’s promise of even greater blessings in the future. God may be trying to lead you to a place of greater service and usefulness for him. Don’t let the comfort and security of your present position make you miss God’s plan for you.”1 I want to be like Abraham. I want a life like that. I want to do what God wants me to do, even though I may not know the specifics of how He will make it happen, where He is leading me, or what will occur along the way. Thankfully, if I simply turn to the pages of the Bible, I am reminded this is possible for me. And if it’s possible for me, because we know God doesn’t play favorites, it’s possible for you, too.

Understanding that possibility allowed me to recently make the choice to step down from my position as co-director at my place of work and decrease my load to 32 hours per week. Making this decision doesn’t mean I don’t love my job, but I have been able to recognize that doing so will allow me to continue to have an impact in a profession that I feel called to while also leaving time and space for me to pursue others passions the Lord has placed in my heart. Admittedly, He first called me to this almost two years ago, and I am just now getting around to being fully obedient. In the spirit of offering myself grace, as I’ve come to know and understand more about the character of God, it is slowly becoming easier for me to step out in trust and go wherever God wants to take me.

Throughout my time of reflection and prayer prior to deciding, I asked myself this question that I am now posing to you: Who or what is guiding the direction of your life?

Our lives are inundated with messages that are like road signs along a city street. Buy this, go here, take this job, stay in this relationship, etc. It can be overwhelming and, if we aren’t careful, it will lead us into a pattern of taking turn after turn and feeling frustrated that we are ending up in the same place. Whether we recognize it or not, we are in the midst of a daily battle: following the Word of God vs. the world. Because I know this truth, I have learned the importance of continually checking my compass. Am I leaning into the truth of God’s Word and using it to guide the direction of my life, or am I allowing myself to be consumed by what the world is telling me? If you do a quick Google search of “advice for life,” you will be greeted with literally thousands of links to different articles on how to succeed in life, jobs, relationships, and so much more. Talk about overwhelming. But, thankfully, thousands of years ago, God provided the ultimate guidebook for our lives, the Bible.

The Bible contains so many stories of faith, just like Abraham’s. He has a unique story for each of us, too. I don’t know what message God has laid on your heart, but if you are struggling to trust Him and step out in faith, I want to encourage you today to take a deep breath, consult with trusted spiritual mentors who will point you to Jesus, and then check the ultimate compass, God’s Word. He is a God of compassion and certainty. Though it won’t provide a detailed map of every single step on your journey, it contains simple road signs of God’s grace, mercy, and love that will guide you along the way.

God has a different plan and purpose for each of our lives, but we must be obedient. Instead of consulting Google, pick up your Bible and thumb through the pages. Choose to allow Him to be your compass. He will always direct us to our ultimate destination and the place where we will find purpose, Jesus.

1. NLT Study Bible. NLT Study Bible. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Pub., 2008.