Every year there is a joint partnership between the leader of the Youth department (that would be my departement) and the leader of the Evangelism department (that would be my colleague and friend Willy Aronsen) to travel to England to visit Newbold College with prospective students looking to study theology or just look what the college have to offer.
To be honest with you travelling abroad, especially with large groups, is not something I enjoy. Before every trip I usually spend a lot of time worrying about finding my way around large airports and foreign countries. Luckily I have the privilege of travelling with a colleague that has a lot of experience in this area. At the beginning of March this year we travelled to England with 6 enthusiastic young people. What an adventure!
With flight details, road maps and directions in hand, we were ready to travel to England. We stepped off the plane at Gatwick airport and joined the crowd moving through the airport. The signs sent us to baggage claim where we picked up our baggage, continued through customs and proceeded to follow the signs to the designated area to pick up our booked rental cars. Everything was exactly where the signs pointed.
We hopped into our rental cars and were on our way. Since we were in England, a sign on the dashboard pointed to the left reminding us what side of the road to drive on (as if we did not know the British drive on the wrong side of the road). We then followed the well-marked signs pointing us to the M5 motorway leading from Gatwick airport to Heathrow airport and on to the city of Reading. From there, we sought out the well-marked signs and route markers to navigate us towards the town of Bracknell and eventually the junction leading to Binfield village, arriving at our final destination Newbold College. If truth be told it was easy when you follow the signs.
I cannot imagine what our travels would have been like if we had ignored the map or road signs. It probably would have taken us twice as long to arrive at our final destination, or perhaps we would have given up looking and stayed where we were. It still surprises me that there are times I think I know better and don’t ask for directions or carry a map when I am traveling abroad. I somehow think that all things will turn out okay in the end. The problem with such thinking is that very often things do not turn out the way I originally planned and usually causes a long delay and a lot of frustration for everybody involved. In truth, there is definitely wisdom found from following the right signs and a good road map and knowing which way to turn.
If I can have this understanding with something as simple as traveling to Newbold College in England, why do I often ignore the road map for my life? Perhaps because sometimes I forget I am a stranger in this world. The Psalmist writes: “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me” (Psalm 119:18-19). As Christians, our home is the Kingdom of God and we do well to remember this basic truth. We do well to follow Gods road map for our lives and not choose to wander around aimlessly.
God gives us a wonderful gift of the Bible to act as a road map through our journey of life. The Bible also points out the best route to take during our life travels, helping us to avoid getting lost and to navigate around bumps and obstacles along the way. However, the first step to using this map is to admit you need one. In other words a little bit of humility goes a long way.
Like the psalmist realized, we are strangers in this land. Without our map, the Bible, we are destined to wander aimlessly around in the world and possibly miss the great destination God has for planned for our lives. On the other hand if we daily choose to use the Bible as our guide, we will be headed in the right direction with assurance of where we are going and a life God wants for us.
Not just any life but a life filled with meaning and purpose in which the fruits of the spirit are daily being cultivated in our lives – a life that leads you to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind and to serve and love people around you (Luke 10:27).
SO LET ME ASK YOU:
What are ways in your life that you can and have used the Bible as a road map?