Let Go and Be Led, Part 2

(First things first, the book that I am referring to is titled "Reckless Faith" by Beth Guckenberger. "Let Go and Be Led" is the tagline which I think should be my mantra in the year ahead. Per my opinion, this book is a two thumbs up...way up!)

Beth shares this story about a time when she participated in a disabilities lesson, specifically dealing with blindness. She went to this room with no windows, lights turned off, and there was only way to get from one edge of the room to the other: "The only saving grace is the voice of the guide." At times we feel lost in the thick darkness around us, whether by sharing in the pain of others or muddling through our own pains. The darkness can be stifling and overwhelming...I've been there. It helps to remember that you are not alone. However, maybe you've had times, like I've had, where the Guide is silent. I've heard it said that if you get lost, the best thing to do is stay put...sit down and don't keep wandering. Maybe it's the same spiritually...when in darkness or feeling lost, when the Guide is present but silent, that is the time to calm your spirit and settle in...perhaps the Guide has a lesson to teach.

I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. Isaiah 42:6-7

I don't have all the answers...I'm just working through my own experiences and trying to see God and hear God myself. But maybe the darkness or the solitude is a time of preparation. "Having vision, listening to God, and stepping out in faith all mean that my life experiences are building within me principles that I need for God's next call." Times of darkness or bondages, and the struggles and learning that occur in those times, can provide opportunities for ministry in the future, in addition to strengthening your relationship with God. Naturally the process isn't easy...in fact, when in the midst, I sure wouldn't mind skipping the struggle. I pray for a spiritual "clapper" (you know that old commercial, "clap on, clap off, the clapper"...google it, if you don't know what I'm talking about...an advertising gem, although it apparently works.) I start to feel uncomfortable or get weary of the darkness. I want to clap my hand and have a light to show me the way out. But I've yet to ever receive a clapper light. Usually the way it goes is that I wait and wait and wait and then one day, a little spot of light brighten the floor right in front of me. So I take a step and wait again. A slow refining process. "He's much more interested in the development of my dependence on him and my relationship with him than he is in impressing me with his plans." Okay, I'm starting to ramble...let me wrap this up by saying that I'm confident there will be continual struggles and periods of darkness, off and on, in my life until I go to be with the Lord. Some moments will be harder or last longer than others but looking back to the verse, the promise remains the same that God promises light and freedom. He has not forsaken me. He has not forsaken you.