When we travel, we can make reservations for a variety of things: transportation, accommodations, leisure activities, meals etc. Those reservations, set for a future date, tell us and others where we'll be and what we'll be doing when we get there.
In life, we do that too. We lay out an itinerary for the years ahead. We tell ourselves, by the time I'm X years old, I want to be married. I want to be out of debt and pay off my student loans by _______. By the time I hit 40, I'm going to have my career where I want it. By my next birthday, I will be sober. By retirement age, I will be better at managing stress. By our next anniversary, our marriage will be stronger. The list goes on.
These goals are often a lot more difficult to accomplish than arriving for a flight on time. They are complex, requiring discipline and perseverance, and the buy-in of others.
If Covid has taught us anything, it's that plans change. Reservations can be postponed or even canceled without our world falling apart. We can skip the vacation, postpone the trip or extend the deadline of just about anything. The test is this: When life interrupts our itinerary, how will we respond?
I wrote last week about following the leading of the Spirit when life's journey doesn't afford us a map. Sometimes we have a map, with plans and goals all laid out, when suddenly we are blindsided; all our plans whisked away by a pandemic, a divorce, the loss of a job or the death of someone dear to us. We find ourselves sitting on the floor, bewildered, wondering where we are headed, if not where we thought.
2 Corinthians 13:5
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?
When we hit those roadblocks, it's the perfect time to reconsider our itinerary and check-in. We need to test ourselves and ask ourselves a few questions.
Do these plans still reflect the assignment/calling God has for my life?
Have I become more focused on achieving my goals than listening to the Spirit's direction?
Am I walking in faith, or walking according to my own prescribed steps?
God may want to switch-out our map for a new one, mid-journey. He may want to scratch-off a few items and add some others. If Christ is in you, you can change those reservations. Realizing He is your travel partner and concierge means you're not traveling alone. He will keep you on-track and on a journey that you could never have planned.
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