One thing I don't like to think about is being lost. Once when I lived in northwest Indiana, I had to drive home from a friend's house late at night. They lived somewhere between Gary and Calumet City, neither which of were great neighborhoods. I had to take all back roads to get home and it seemed like around every bend was another "Y" or "T" and I got totally disoriented, not having driven in that area before. I was tired and getting scared. All I wanted to do was get to someplace that looked familiar.
Usually people get lost trying to get to their destination, not trying to get home! How silly would it be if we got lost on the way to vacation and just decided to give up and head for home? Most of us would never get anywhere.
Yet sometimes, when we're going through difficult times in our lives, all we want is for things to get back to normal. But is that where God is trying to take us? Back to what we were? God tells us he desires for us to be transformed into the image of his Son. That's what this Christian life is all about - that's the destination.
Lately I know God's been working on me about some things and, until recently, my thoughts have been, "I just want to get back to being me." I don't think I realized this time in my life is just another segment of the journey. As the saying goes, (actually I guess it's the title of a novel by Thomas Wolfe which I have never read), "You Can't Go Home Again." Our nature is to seek out that which is familiar and comfortable. Well, I can try, but it won't be the same anyways. The choice is up to us. Will we resist God's work in our lives, or allow him to have his way with us?
II Cor 3:18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Getting Back to Me
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6 comments:
Good post. I recently read this quote (and am mulling over it for a future blog-post!): "Growth is what we get when we don't get what we want." I don't think we would deny that we want to grow, we want to be better / further along a year from now, etc.... but the "problem" is, God has to take us out of our comfort zone in order to grow us.
Hello Dianne!!! I'm still amazed to find out we go to church together. I'm Saturday night generally and we're growing enough it'd be easy to miss each other. I saw your interests are also Bible study, so maybe we'll see each other there. How fun it's going to be to read a blog by someone who is getting fed the same place I am. Blessings to you, can't wait to get home and see if youre in the picture directory and see if I "know" you. I told Katrina we need to do a MIRL at some point, beings we all live about a mile from each other. Who knew?
And Katrina is the caterpillar I've been seeing - you guys blew me away with telling me we're all there together.
Great post!
I often get lost coming back from places, especially in the dark! It can be scary and frustrating.
It is a wonderful analogy...and whenever God is orchestrating a new path, we know that there will be something good on the other end!
Great illustration here. I feel a little lost, too. They say that life is a journey, not a destination, but in the instance of vacationing, you just want to get there already.
Very good explanation! I think sometimes when we always choose the familiar and comfortable is when we are also bored and in a rut! The Christian walk is exciting, a little heart pounding, but exciting, if we but follow the Lord as He leads, whether it's familiar or not!
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