We all have an image in our mind of what it looked like as God parted the Red Sea to let his people out of Egypt. Walls of water towering over the Israelites as they escaped from Pharaoh and his troops. One resource I looked at said there were about two million people leaving Egypt. I don’t know about you, but that is hard for me to wrap my head around.
I don’t remember focusing much on the fact that God didn’t lead them on the shortest route from Egypt to the Promised land. Instead, He took them on a journey through the wilderness to avoid fighting with the Philistines. When things didn’t go their way, they complained. A lot. As a result, God’s chosen people ended up wandering in the desert 40 years before they were allowed to enter the Promised Land.
As a child when I would hear the story of how the Israelites crossed the Jordan river at the end of that 40 year period, I’m not sure I realized that they were crossing yet another great body of water with yet another miracle from God. I also don’t remember ever discussing that although they were given the land, they had to fight to claim it once they were there.
I’ve been thinking a lot about that situation lately. You see, I believe that we all have a promise from God. He’s given us desires in our hearts and gifts and opportunities to make those promises come true. In some way or another, we are all wandering through life taking the long way to receive those promises, aren’t we?
It seems that everyone I know, even those who seemingly have it all together, have moments of uncertainty and doubt in some aspect of their life. In fact, I’ve built my coaching practice around helping people who find themselves wandering through life feeling empty and unfulfilled.
Because that is what it feels like when we are lost. Empty and unfulfilled. Nothing seems to go the way we want them to. We get frustrated because our plans don’t work out and we get anxious, afraid, and often downright dissatisfied with life. Or maybe for you, you’re just bored. Nothing seems to excite you anymore and it’s been a long time since you’ve felt really happy.
So we try to fix it by changing jobs, finding a new church, or even ending relationships that we are in. But the reality is it is rarely those external things that are the problem. It’s us. And when we make those changes, the problem doesn’t go away and we can actually make the problem worse. Oh, it may seem better for a while, but it’s generally not the long term solution.
In my practice, I have found that the key is for us to reconnect with the things that matter so we can live the life our soul is longing for. In my conversations with clients, I’ve been giving the example of how in a similar manner that God gave the Israelites manna to eat each day, He also gives us breadcrumbs to follow so we can find our purpose and therefore avoid becoming lost in the desert.
I’ve learned that God doesn’t always work in the way that we think He will or the way we would do it. We have a tendency to think we’ll take the direct route from where we are to where we want to go, but God often will lead us around obstacles and challenges we cannot see. Or, He will allow us to take the route with numerous obstacles to allow us to learn lessons so we can grow in our faith. We often forget that He sees what is at the end of the journey and prepares us for the path ahead.
You see, I’ve been doing some wandering myself lately. I’d been beating myself up because things weren’t going the way I thought they should. There were too many interruptions and too many meetings on my calendar and I wasn’t getting the things that I thought I needed to get done done. I was starting to feel anxious and began to question if I really was on the path that God had in mind for me.
I mean, if I was on the right path, surely things would look like the plan I had made, wouldn’t it?
And then I did one of my bible study lessons which included some verses from Romans and 1 Peter where we learn that God appoints government officials and I realized that that is where my focus for this season is supposed to be. I am exactly where He wants me to be. And the seemly endless meetings that seem like distractions are actually the way God is asking me to serve right now. The talents and skills from my previous career are what my community needs in this period of growth and rather than be anxious and concerned that I’m not coaching enough, I am to be focused on how I can best be a leader in my community.
Yes, it feels like wandering because it isn’t what I had envisioned for my life and I really don’t know what the next step will be. But I realized that as long as I continue to seek God’s will and as long as I keep taking the next step and as long as I keep learning from each lesson offered along the way, I am not lost.
Unlike the Israelites. Do you realize that the 40 years they took to wander through the wilderness should have taken only 11 days? Now that is some serious wandering! They were truly lost. Not because they didn’t make a bee-line and get to their destination immediately. But rather because they were being disobedient and were not appreciating what they had.
They grumbled about the water, they grumbled about the food. They whined and they didn’t appreciate all that was being provided for them. And then I realized that, much like the Israelites, I wasn’t content with the “manna” God was giving to me. Like them, God has given me absolutely everything I need, but I wanted more. Not that wanting more in and of itself is wrong. But I began to see that I hadn’t been appreciating God for all he’d provided for me already and had focused my desire success above seeking God and serving others.
When I stopped to consider how ungrateful I’d been recently for all the things God has already provided for me. I realized that although I hadn’t gotten some of the things I had hoped for, I already have so much. I’d taken a step in faith but had gotten impatient when God didn’t respond in the timeframe I thought He should.
I had to remind myself that when God makes a promise He doesn’t give us a timeline. We’ve become a society that expects results immediately and when we don’t have immediate results we get frustrated and think something is wrong. We forget that there are lessons to be learned along the way.
And, a lot like it is in school, you don’t get to move up to the next class until you’ve learned the lessons from the class we’re in. So we wander. Even when we know where we’re headed, we don’t always know what each step along the way will look like.
My big aha was that even though we may be wandering it doesn’t mean we are lost. We get lost when we lose faith and no longer trust that God is in control. When we try to take the wheel and steer our way to where we think we should be instead of surrendering to God. We know we are lost when we start to get frustrated and are no longer experiencing joy in our lives.
This realization brought so much peace to me. Knowing that I am on the right path and although I haven’t reached the destination yet, I can enjoy the journey. I can keep listening for where the Holy Spirit will guide me next and I can keep making course corrections when needed, but I’m truly not lost at all.
How about you, are you on the right path? Do you love what you’re doing and do you find joy in your work? Are you able to see the distractions that God puts along your journey may actually be more important than the actual vision you created for yourself? Like helping out your neighbor, or attending that fundraising meeting, or organizing that walk to support those who have suffered a loss. Maybe it’s making sure your kids feel safe and loved or encouraging your spouse to do something for themselves for a change.
It might be bigger, like finally scheduling that big vacation you’ve been dreaming about but haven’t given yourself permission to spend the money or take the time off to go. If you aren’t sure if you should do it or not, consider the long term view of it. If it doesn’t put you into debt or cause great financial stress, it could actually give you the opportunity to clear your mind for challenges that are just around the corner. And it will give you lasting memories for you and your loved ones to cherish for years to come.
In a talk I gave recently, I explained that when we get that feeling that something is missing or we feel anxious or overwhelmed, then we are out of alignment and need to figure out how to get back into adjustment. A full two weeks later I had my big aha. Wandering in and of itself isn’t the problem.
We all wander because, as hard as we try, we are not in control. We course-correct when there is a diagnosis we didn’t see coming. Or we lose that deal we were sure we had in the bag. Or our loved ones don’t respond to our great idea the way we thought they should.
We get lost when we let it take us completely off track and we lose our joy. Our connection with God. When we no longer seek him. As a result, maybe you can’t sleep at night or you can’t find that peace God intends us to have. He longs for us to follow him and trust him. He wants us to walk in His will. When we do, He watches over us and makes sure every step we take is solidly planted.
I love how David explains it in Psalm 37: 23-24. He shares, “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.”
And He will hold you by the hand too. All you have to do is seek His advice before you take action.
Sadly, you may be someone who has been convinced you aren’t worthy of the promise He laid on your heart. Or you aren’t equipped to do the thing He’s asked you to do. That is the lie that Satan wants you to believe. Because every single one of us has been equipped for our calling. Whether it be a stay at home mom, a teacher, an entrepreneur or the leader of a large organization, you are there for a reason and you have an impact to make right where you are.
Although we all have gifts, talents, and abilities that differ, our purpose is all the same. To shine God’s light into the world. To reflect the love we’ve been given and share the gift of salvation. Not like standing on a street corner shouting out scripture or giving a sermon from the pulpit, but by loving those in our path. By demonstrating what kindness and forgiveness look like. By having the courage to take a step into the unknown because you know God is by your side.
Yes, there are people who will think you’ve gone mad. But do you really care? Remember Psalm 37…”though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.”
He will not let you fall.
How do I know? Because I’m on that journey right now. It’s true, my path has been anything but a clear path. I’ve gone from mentoring people who serve the low income in my housing career, to becoming a health coach, to answering the call to become a community leader. How do all those diverse paths come together? Each one was building the skills I need to mentor and coach people of faith to step into their purpose and influence the people in their lives to be their best. To live their more.
If you are ready to stop hiding in the shadows and pretending that God can’t use you to have an impact in this world, I would love to help you get clarity on what your gifts are and how you, too, can live your more. God has a plan for you. Are you taking the steps He is calling you to, or are you wandering through life feeling empty and unfulfilled?
You see, wandering in and of itself is not a bad thing. It can seem like a distraction or a waste of time, but if you are looking for the breadcrumbs, you will find that there are opportunities to serve along the way.
In my ebook, The Top Four Reasons You Feel Unfulfilled by Your Success, I share some insights into this topic. You can access it at vonajohnson.com/unfulfilled. It’s a great resource to help you see where you might have gotten off your path and can help you get back on track.
All who wander are not lost.
But if after reading this today you think that maybe you are lost, there is still time to get on the right path.
Let me be your guide to figuring it out your path so you can:
- Create a sense of clarity about what is missing in your life,
- Discover the essential building blocks for having the life of your dreams,
- Determine the #1 thing stopping you from having the life you want,
- Identify the most powerful actions that will move you toward the “More” you desire,
- Be excited to know EXACTLY what to do next to create the life your soul is longing for.
Schedule a time for us to visit today. It’s free and it’s guaranteed to be the best 60 minutes you will spend this week, this month, possibly ever.
Thank you for stopping by today. I know your time is valuable and the fact that you are here means so much to me. If you know of someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them. You can share it through messenger, text message, email, or share a post from my vonajohnsoncoaching Facebook page.
Go, be blessed, and live your more!
To access the ebook, go to www.vonajohnson.com/unfulfilled
To schedule an appointment, go to https://vonajohnsoncoaching.as.me/discover
Access my website at www.vonajohnson.com
