Unclear Directions?

One of things that I find most frustrating is not having clear directions.  When driving, I hate getting lost because I didn't receive clear directions.  When working on an assignment, I get frustrated if the directions were unclear.

This also applies to my often felt frustration in my faith journey of following God.  He doesn't seem to like giving me clear directions. What should we do when it seems like God hasn't given us clear directions?

I often meet followers of Jesus that are stuck because they do not have clarity in what God wants them to do. If you are struggling with finding clarity regarding God’s will, I would like to give you a few suggestions to help you move forward.  These suggestions will not remove all the uncertainty that you have, but hopefully it can help you get “unstuck” so you can take that next step of faith.

1) Realize that God never gives us a detailed road map.

Throughout the Bible, we see that God asks people to follow Him without giving them the details of what they will experience in the journey ahead.  God asked Abram to leave home and go to a place that He will later show him.  God asked Moses to return to Egypt and confront Pharaoh without telling him about the plagues, the Red Sea, the Passover, or the 40 years of wandering.

God doesn't give us a detailed road map.  He leads us using “turn-by-turn” navigation.  He might not give us all the details, but He always makes the next step clear.  When we get off-course, He tells us “rerouting, rerouting” and shows us how to get back on course.  The problem occurs when we get annoyed at that GPS voice and we turn it off.  Then after a while, we get lost and we say “I have no idea where God is leading me.”

2) Focus on the clear things.

We will always have around us some things that are clear and others that are unclear.  There will always be confusion and mystery in life.  There will always be answered questions.  The problem is when we allow the unclear things in life to cloud out the clear things. Even though we have questions, we need to hold onto the things that we know for sure.

When moving into uncharted territory, we need to hold onto our foundational convictions.  You may be confused about your future, but do not be confused about God’s character, power, and love.  Don’t let the “fuzzy” things cause you to lose sight of the things that you are confident in.

3) Do the basics well.

When a successful athlete was asked what the secret of his success was, he answered simply, “I do the basics well most of the time.”  I think that is the secret to find success in most areas of life. To succeed as a golfer, the basics include driving, chipping, and putting.  To succeed as a baseball player, the basics include hitting, fielding, and running.  To succeed as a parent, the basics include love, understanding, presence, and intentionality.

And to succeed as Christian, the basics include loving God, loving people, and making a difference. When you are stuck, just focus on doing the basics well.  Then take your next step of faith.  I can assure you as you walk with God, He will continue to lead you step by step.

What about you? Any advice about how to get unstuck?