No matter what’s going on in the world, it’s important to stay focused on what is truly important in life. For Christians, that means staying true to our faith and following Jesus Christ no matter what. It can be difficult to do that when there is so much chaos and unrest all around us, but with God’s help, we can find our true north and stay on course. Let’s pray for strength and guidance as we navigate these troubled times.
Remember road-tripping prior to GPS?
Half the fun was spreading out that big multifold highway map on the kitchen table to plan your trip. Then with your favorite beverage in hand, you would carefully begin charting your route, marking the roads to your destination as well as special sightseeing stops along the way.
Once on your way, your map was almost always within reach for quick spot checks. If during your trip the feeling of disorientation began, the protocol was to watch for a few road signs to help establish location, then you would pull to the side of the road, reach for your map, and attempt to pinpoint your position.
If you were actually off course, you’d mark the quickest correction path and be on your way again. Your highway map was always a critical component of your journey along with a good compass to locate True North in the most critical circumstances.
Your life span is your ultimate road journey, so of course, you want the most reliable, dependable, and accurate instrument available for guidance along your personal journey.
This instrument is your Life-Map! Without a trustworthy life map, the possibility of drifting off course and missing turns is very real and could lead to your loss of important opportunities, wasted time, energy, and resources; and could well introduce into your life some major disappointments, setbacks, and failures.
Sometimes your life drifting off course could be the consequence of your being distracted or negligent, which is a situation of your own making. These I refer to as self-inflicted wounds. However, unexpected challenges and issues could also be the result of something introduced into your life, but completely unanticipated and out of your control. A pandemic for example!
Finding Your True North in the Midst of Unrest
Who saw Covid-19 coming? I know I didn’t. Yet, it jolted the cultures of the world. It produced widespread illness, death, job displacements, commodity shortages, political unrest, abrupt shifts in educational processes, confusion, lockdowns, separations disrupting the human need for social interaction, holiday and vacation cancellations, and on goes the list. The past 16 months have introduced a plethora of feelings and conversations probably best defined by the term, disorientation. People are worried, angry, divided, disillusioned, concerned, and disappointed. You could define our current emotional state with the word tenuous.
The search is on for the course correction to some semblance of sanity, safety, and security. Realized or not, your heart is in pursuit of stability, peace, and hope and looking for true north and the course correction to get you there.
For those who follow Christ, there exists the life-map extraordinaire. It is the singular flawless source of directional precision to guide your heart’s pre-set GPS to the best destination, the true north setting for your soul. For Christ-followers this life map is the Bible, leading to Christ, who is, True North.
If you are currently attempting to cope with some measure of disorientation, you’ve no doubt sought answers from the endless media sources available. Each claims clambers, and sometimes demands they hold the solution to your best life destination. In the end, though they will leave you feeling once again lost, disappointed; and disoriented. The reason is your heart’s designer and maker pre-set your heart to seek and search True North. No other destination but one of his design will deliver what you long for.
The word solace is a bit antiquated, but it provides a great image for your homeward pursuit. It is the image of perfect peace. Peace, free and unfettered from the world’s scrambled hollow counterfeit veneers that disappoint. Peace provided by one sure and promise-keeping source, Christ!
Disoriented? Then pull to the side of the road, make your course correction homeward using your flawless life map locate True North, and pursue the destination your life was fashioned for. Therein is genuine peace, both en route as well as at the final destination.
As a fellow traveler, I suggest the following:
- Make your purpose for your life align with the true north. True North is Christ!
- Then use your life map to pinpoint your current position and make course corrections as needed. Remember, your goal according to your life map, the Bible, is to be formed into the likeness of Jesus Christ.
- Let your purposeful pursuit of Christ-likeness become your life’s prevailing passion as home is not far ahead.
Onward!
