A few days ago, I was driving with my son in the front passenger seat. This wasn’t unusual. But what was different was that we were away from home, navigating streets that he was not familiar with. Furthermore, we were driving on the right side of the street, whereas at home, we would drive on the left.
As I drove, I could sense his feeling of anxiety as he would mistakenly think I was going the wrong way or doing some incorrect maneuver. But it all came to a boiling point when I turned right on red at a traffic light. He yelled, “Daddy! The light was red,” not expecting me to turn at that time. His response scared me half to death. After my heart returned to normal beating levels, I calmly explained that turning right on red was a safe and legal driving action. Thankfully, I continued driving thereafter without any further interruptions.
This encounter made me realize that we tend to be more comfortable when we are in familiar territory on the road of life and when we are in control with predictable outcomes. Our regular routines are safe. But when we are thrust into uncertainty by the loss of a job, a health crisis, the loss of a loved one, a marriage in chaos, or financial uncertainty, the future seems dark. We don’t know which way to go. Fear and doubt seem to hover over us. We are troubled not only by the uncertainty, but by the fact that we have no idea what to do or where we are going.
In times like these, we must trust in God’s ability to navigate and to do the driving for us while we sit calmly in the passenger seat. While this is not instinctive, know that when we do this, we are relying on some enduring truths:
- God knows where we are and where He is taking us.
- He has a plan for us that is greater and more fulfilling than we can comprehend.
- Getting to new places of opportunity and blessing requires going where we have never been.
- God’s love is unconditional, and He is not trying to hurt us.
God speaking to His chosen people in Isaiah 41:9-10 says,
“Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away. Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”
If God has called you to a purpose, He is taking you there even when the road is unclear. Don’t lose hope. Trust His driving!