The Next Ten!
I was reading an article earlier this month that made this statement; December 31st, 2019 is the last day of this decade! It honestly startled me so much, I had to sit back in my chair while trying to pick my jaw up from the ground. The end of this decade. Its truth rang through me like a bell and caused a mix of panic and awe. Over the next several days, I started thinking about all that has happened in the last 10 years. Honestly, it was tough at first because most days I can’t remember what I was doing last week much less 10 years ago. But as I started to recount the highlights, the memories flooded back as if they had just happened.
In the past decade, I have become a Mimi, twice, added personal trainer to my resume, said goodbye to some of my dearest friends and my loved ones and moved across the country to start a new life, attended beautiful weddings and graduations, watched the next generation walk into their callings as I cheered from the seats, went on several trips of a lifetime with my husband and family, saw my boys win the Super Bowl and went from my 40s into my 50s (at times kicking and screaming!), started this blog and so many more events, too numerous to write about.
When I look back at pictures that documented all of this, I realized that there were so many more victories, challenges and defeats that were not accounted for. Times where I saw God do the miraculous as well as times that I really, really messed up. It’s all in there the last 10 years; the good, the bad and the ugly. But I’d add the miraculous, the overwhelming and the beauty. Each year held so many treasures.
So, naturally, my mind shifted to what possibilities the next ten years may hold. The sobering thought that I’ll be in my mid-sixties (ahhh!), my oldest granddaughter will be in high school and my youngest in junior high (double gulp) and…That’s when I realized that I really had no idea what came after that “and”. Where will I be living, what will God have for me to do, will I finally get my hair to cooperate? All burning questions with no real answers or at least none with any real certainty. I know that I want to be right where I am, doing exactly what I’m doing but I know that God has His plans and I want to believe that I’ll obey, no matter what.
Today I heard part of a message from a pastor that I love to listen to and he was talking about relying on our map and GPS apps to go anywhere unfamiliar to us. What he said really struck me as truth. On either of these apps, you can just listen for the turn-by-turn directions or you can look further and open up the part that says “details”. In details, you can see the entire journey, step-by-step, turn-by-turn, listed out all the way to your destination. But like him, I can’t handle the details. For one, they mean nothing to me because I have no idea where those details are bringing me since I’ve never been to my destination before. I wouldn’t know where those places are anyway, even though that are spelled out for me. And two, I have no idea if it is taking me to the right place and realize I have trust it.
Obedience is walking in the direction that God has called us to walk even when you don’t understand the details. That is a powerful truth. We sometimes put more trust in our GPS than we do in our Father but the truth is, the maker of the GPS has made mistakes before. I’ve been a firsthand witness to it. But our Heavenly GPS maker, not only knows where He’s taking me, He has already been there to prepare the way! He knows what is at the next turn, what challenges to avoid and how to teach me to enjoy every step of the journey.
As I approach the next decade, I can be assured that God knows the answers to all of my questions. He has chartered a path for me that is clear to Him but may not be clear to me. And I can ask Him for the details but it would be so overwhelming, so breathtaking as well as so foreign to me. If God had told me in 2010 that I would sell everything, move across country leaving everyone I know behind, it would have overwhelmed me to the point of despair. But because I put Him first and chose to obey, He gave me turn by turn directions, guiding me, letting me rest, showing me, growing me and birthing new dreams until I was ready for the next step so I could arrive safely at my new destination.
What about you, dear reader? I always want to encourage you to dream big, crazy and audacious dreams but I know that the thought of how you’ll get there can keep you locked in your day-to-day routine, keeping you from reaching for those dreams. Be assured that your Father will give you those sometimes subtle step-by-step directions. Trust the maker of your spiritual GPS. He will be your guide to what awaits you in the next year as well as the next decade! Here’s to the next exciting adventure!
