Where Does God Want Me to Go and What Does He Want Me to Do?
Everyone in my family knows I’m not good with directions. North, south, east, and west are confusing. I get it, the sun sets in the west and rises in the east. My question is still, “What does that have to do with me?” Lol. When someone is giving me directions and those directions include, “Go west” I’m done. You’ve just spoken Russian to me. I’m so much better with words like, “Go through three red lights, then turn left at the fourth light.” Clear. Concise. I can handle that. N, S, E, and W are all floating around out there like cyberspace, whatever that is!
Of course, you’re wondering who even gives directions anymore. Right? I get it. I’m old. It’s a dated concept. I have a cell phone so there is no need to ever wonder if it’s time to turn or if I’ve arrived. GPS is an awesome invention. Sometimes I laugh out loud thinking about going back in time to my 1970 lost self and telling her that one day her phone will literally talk to her giving her directions so she will never be lost again. I’m quite sure that tall, skinny seventeen-year-old would say, “Not gonna happen.” But it did. It’s happening now and I love it. I recently traveled to Dallas and drove the streets like I live there. Big thanks to the talking lady in my cell phone.
Wonder when our phones are going to start giving us life-directions? Perhaps it would work like this: We could put in all the perimeters like names of friends and places to go and jobs to do and hobbies to invest in and likes and dislikes and then a lady on the cell phone would start telling us what to do and where to do and when to do it. Life would be so much easier, right? Because isn’t our biggest question, as believers, is where does God want me?
The reality is this, our freedom to choose our “directions” is what brings us satisfaction and joy. It’s also what brings glory to God. Did you ever consider God is God and He could have chosen to make us go a certain direction? He didn’t have to allow us the right and privilege to choose which way to go and do. But he did. He loves us so much that He risked it all on the chance that we might risk it all for Him.
But the question continues to arise: How do I know if I’m making a right choice about my life? How do I know what job God wants me to take or where God wants me to live? After all, my main goal is to serve Him, but how do I know where He wants that service to be?
I recently read the most profound statement. I hope you agree. Here it is. When asking God what He wants me to do, remember that we are not human “doings” rather we are human “beings.” You might have to read that twice like I did. Genesis 1:27 says “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” I think it’s so wise of God to repeat himself in one sentence, because we’re often slow to catch on. So, here’s what God is saying. We are created in God’s image. That’s it. Done.
Being created in God’s image means we are not like any other creature God created. No other creature has the attributes of God. Think about the power of that statement. Birds fly and sing and feather their nest because they are birds and that is what birds do. A mommy bird will birth a baby bird who will do the same thing. That new baby bird can only “do” the things other birds have done for thousands of years. This is true of all the other creatures. But, humans, we have qualities that make us capable of relating to God’s being, not just what God does. Hence, the term. Human “being.” A bird does what he does because he’s a creature of “doing.” A human is so much more. Humans can communicate which means we can walk in harmony with God and that takes the word “being” up another notch, doesn’t it? WOW! When I read that, I was blown away! I read it on bibleref.com if you want to look it up.
Suddenly, knowing where God “wants” me to live becomes less important than knowing “how” God wants me to live. Suddenly, knowing what God wants me to “do” is overshadowed by what God want me to “be.” Suddenly, where God wants me to live, work, study, perform, practice, or play doesn’t matter so much if I am “being” with God and striving to “be” more like Him.
Many English scholars think the verb “to be” is the most important verb in the English language as “to be” means a state of being. To not go down the entire road of the verb “to be” I’ll only talk about one aspect of it. “To be” can be a linking verb which connects the subject to a word or phrase with the purpose of giving more information about that subject. For instance, Chrys is tall. It’s true. Now you know more about me. I am tall. So, to know how we are to be, and in keeping with the knowledge of who we were created to be like, it would be important to answer the question, “Who is God?” Once, we have researched that question, then we will know who we are to “be.” Completing this statement involves you and me. God is…. All the attributes (qualities, characteristics, traits) you know God to be, are the attributes He longs to see in us.
Now, we will have the answers. LOL. We will never have all the answers, but I, for one, have a clearer understanding that God, first and foremost, wants me “to be” in His presence, basking in His glow, and reflecting His goodness, grace, and love to everyone wherever I find myself “doing” the things I do in life.
Hugs, Chrys