When I Lose My Sense of Direction

I’m a bit A.D.D.  I typically forget where in the world my car is parked amidst the sea of other white vehicles in the Walmart lot. And when I’m driving along a familiar road, music blasting on the radio, checking out sky art, admiring yet another Kia Soul in a cool new color, sometimes I miss my exit. It seems so easy to get caught up in the moment with my mind full of the stuff that distracts, I forget I’m actually on the road going somewhere.

Smelling the roses along the way is beautiful. Never forgetting the destination is crucial.

In the daily walking through life…work, kids, bills, ministry, annoying phone hours spent fixing internet issues…I can tend to forget where I’m actually headed. And when I forget, I revert back into a whiny, fearful, frustrated daughter of God. And that is not a very pretty image bearer.

I’ve heard the saying, “Don’t be so heavenly minded, that you’re no earthy good.” I get the idea as we live in the here and now and are called to deal with the issues of the here and now. But every so often I desire to cease being so earthy minded when the heavenly starts to fade away. I want to remember the eternal future that God has in store. And I desire to live each moment in light of such an awesome scenario.

Jesus implored us to “Seek first seek His kingdom and His righteousness” and then everything else we need would follow suit. And in Psalm 37 the directive to “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart” has always deeply affected the decisions I make when I remember to remember these life-giving words!

But often I forget where in the world I’m going.

I see a sinister principle at work in our lives these days, and sadly, I don’t see it relinquishing itself any time soon. I believe it’s called distraction. And in that state of mind, we cease to be mindful of our purpose and our destiny. Caroline Leaf, PhD in Communication Pathology specializing in Neuropsychology, reminds us that our modern definition of multitasking (she coined the term “milkshake multitasking”) is not only damaging to our brain function, but harmful for our relationships. We rarely complete tasks and have a difficult time committing and following through. That mindset causes us to be fragmented…not deeply thinking about anything, and certainly not about our future and our hope that the Lord calls us to. Only this future hope makes our current situations tolerable and even joy-filled as we see through eyes of faith that NOTHING is wasted that we experience and it all has purpose in God’s sovereign plan. This deep thinking causes a fascinating paradigm shift in our subconscious mind, moving us more closely to remember that we really do possess the mind of Christ.

Seeking His kingdom is a directed way of focusing our minds on what is truly true. When I seek the Kingdom of God I am keenly aware that I am in this world, but not of this world. And that makes all the difference in the world! As I meditate on the reality of currently being in God’s invisible Kingdom, I can also remember that one fine day I’ll finally arrive in all the glory and indescribable beauty of the ultimate Kingdom experience, beyond anything this world can offer me. And delighting in Him will satisfy those insatiable cravings rather than leading me to damaging places I find myself entering when I’m unfocused and pitifully distracted.

I suppose the only valuable way to remember where we’re going is to detox from the bumpy, pot-holed, “all-roads-lead-to” freeway. Tuning in and turning on to the lighted path that leads to life will turn you around and head you toward a destiny here and now, in addition to experiencing the wonders on the other side.

So if you see me scratching my head and wandering around trying to recall where I’m supposed to be, take me by the shoulders, look me straight in the eye, and remind me to focus. Admonish me that I DO know where I’m going and (thank You Jesus!) I even have the directions firmly imprinted in my brain and written upon my heart.

The scenery along the way may be lovely, but the final destination is superb!