Life Streams
Sitting down and watching the day go by, I am not particularly interested in doing anything strenuous today. I deliberately want a quiet day. It helps me think clearly. No phone calls to distract me (almost impossible!). But there are fewer calls today! I’m thankful for that!
Thinking of Abraham today and his journey to an unknown destination. Could that really happen in today’s world? On the other hand, aren’t we all on a journey to an unknown destination? Hmm. Thinking of it, we may actually have a desired destination in mind, like a good life, good children, good service to humanity, good retirement, a good death (if there’s such), and eventually, heaven.
But the journey of our lives can be classified as unknown, because the destination is hazy at best. We know where we want to arrive. Oh, yes, we do! We have lofty dreams. Some are realized along the way, but some are not. Some lead somewhere else other than we had thought or imagined. Some dreams change as we grow older and we are more realistic.
When I gained admission into the university to study English, I dreamt of being a lecturer, living in a serene university environment and working there till I retired. Along the way, my course of study was changed to law. Then, my dreams changed. I forgot the university life and wanted to work in a bank, which I eventually did. I could have been a law lecturer and continued the initial dream, but somehow, that thought never occurred to me at the time. A change of course changed my life direction totally!
Think of a gentle flowing stream which had its course well charted. Then comes a heavy rain that fells a big tree along the path of the stream. For a while, the stream struggles with the impediment and flows over and under the tree. After a while, it is possible to see another arm of the stream following the path of the felled tree. While the initial path is retained, a new path is created and the stream flows in two ways. Water always finds a way to flow. If you block its path, it finds another. Our lives are sometimes like that.
The interesting thing is that while we live and plan and make our choices and decisions that influence our journey, there is a Master Planner, who had everything mapped from the beginning. Sometimes when we struggle to take a decision or make a choice for next steps, if we ask Him, He lets us in the secret, because He had the blueprint all along. So when we feel it was a coincidence running into that former classmate at a time when we were looking for referrals in that field, it wasn’t a mistake, but a God-incidence. God intervening in our lives to guide us to the destination He desires for us.
I like to look back on my life and see the journey so far. A lot of the time, I just have to acknowledge that it was God at work. If not for Him, some things are just not explainable.
So, today, I am kind of at a loss for what to do next, what should my next steps be? How should I plan for the New Year, to ensure my time is meaningfully utilized? That is the reason I needed this quiet day, to allow me plan and think, and seek the Master Planner’s audience, so I may hear what is on the blueprint for me. After all, He is God of the past, God of the present and God of the future!