Starting and Stayingfeatured

We start a bunch of things during our daily lives.  We start a new day when we wake up.  We often start a new task, project or even a new job.  We may start a new relationship or start a conversation with a beloved family member or friend.  Sometimes we have to start treatment for an unwanted disease or start to deal with an unhealthy relationship. Starts are an important part of our lives, so this past week I started thinking about starting (sorry, I couldn’t help myself!)

If we go back to the beginning it all started with God as it tells us in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”  God’s co-worker in creation was Jesus.  John 1:3 says, “Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.”

Since He created each of us and “…in Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28), it seems like we should start each day with Him.  Now I readily acknowledge that this is not my original idea, but sometimes I need to be reminded!  Lamentations 3:23 tells us that He has new compassions for us each morning because of His great love for us.  Spending time with Him, surrendering our plan for the day to Him, and listening to Him for His plan is an ideal way to begin each day.  My starts are not always ideal.  I have big time trouble with that surrender part and listening is not my forte.

The thing is that even if I get off to a pretty good start in the morning with God, I’m a little shaky on staying with Him during the day.  Ideally, I would consistently follow His plan for my day and invite Him to be my counselor and guide for all those other “starts” that occur.  More typically, my “surrender” to His plan for me is short-lived and my “plan for day” is the path I choose to follow.  I may or may not remember to include Him as various “starts” pop-up. 

Staying with Him through all the “starts” is just as important as starting with Him.  And by the way, all those “starts” require some staying power!  The Apostle Paul is a sterling example of staying with the plan God had for him.  In 2 Timothy 4:7 he says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

Let me use my car’s GPS system as an analogy for all this starting and staying.  After entering a desired destination into the system, my GPS gives me step by step directions from my starting point, but it doesn’t give me all the directions, so I don’t know the whole route.   Perhaps I have trust issues with my GPS, but this drives me crazy!  I like to see the whole route, so I pull up Google Maps and take a look to see if I agree with what my car’s GPS says. 

God works more like my car’s GPS than Google Maps!  If I start my day with Him, He gives me enough guidance to get me going and then if I stay tuned into Him, He will continue to guide me to the destination He desires for me.  He generally doesn’t show me the entire route at the beginning of the day!  

When I am driving it is not unusual for me to think that I know a better route than my GPS.  I go my own way while my GPS keeps recalculating, trying to get me back on the path.  How often do I do that with God?  I don’t stick with Him during my day and use my own “wisdom” to chart my course.  It’s sad that my trust in God is about the same as my trust in my GPS.  However, He is there waiting for me to surrender my will (again!) and ready to guide me back to the path He designed for me.   Jesus knew my propensity for this when he told the parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-32.  I may not wander as far and as long, but I wander nevertheless! 

Starting and staying with Him – a simple truth that is hard for me to live out daily!  I forget that the destination that He has planned for me is far better than what I have planned.  Could it be that I am not the only one with this problem?  Holy Spirit, through your power I pray that tomorrow our starting and staying will better reflect our gratitude for your unfailing love and mercy. [jetpack_subscription_form]