Looking through
writing prompts, I came across this one: Smoke, fog, haze: Write about not
being able to see in front of you.
Good ol’
writing prompts. This could have led me down a path of fiction; instead, it reminded
me of a recent conversation I had.
 |
| This isn't the actual card, but it's pretty darn close. Photo |
I was asked
to choose from a selection of photos one that reflects my walk with God right
now. There were so many options – natural settings, city dwellings, people laughing,
a kid crying, abstract patterns, mathematical equations, road signs.
I chose an
image of a tree-lined road mostly obscured by fog. I’m sure you have either
seen a similar image somewhere or experienced it first hand – what is immediately
in front of you is clear, but anything beyond is in a haze.
I know where
God has me right now – this part of the road is acutely in focus. However, there
is also a road ahead that I will travel, but I don’t know what that looks like right
now. I know there is more to my life than what I see, I just don’t know what the
‘more’ is.
On this hazy
road, I have two options. The first is to stay where I am, only do what I am
doing. After all, it’s clear here; it seems safe in its definition and clarity.
The second,
the one that is more frightening, is to keep putting one foot in front of the
other, moving forward into a bit of the unknown, saying yes to new opportunities,
daring to dream new dreams. The second option requires more faith than
planning, more expectancy than knowledge.
The second
option still requires work, of course, but it releases the outcome of that work
willingly (and rightfully) to God. It requires letting go of needing to know
the when and why of it all. It requires a daily choice to trust in His plan, His
process, and His promises.
The second
option is the more frightening one, true, but it is also the more exciting one,
the more rewarding one. It is the one that allows me to focus on the present, letting
both the past and future exist in a bit of a haze. It is the one that leads to more than I could have
planned or even dreamed for myself. It is the one that leads to a deeper love
and trust in God.
It is the option I am choosing with all its haze and promise.
