You are standing in front of a mine field. The man standing next to you begins giving you instruction on how to cross the field, “what you have to do is take 3 steps forward, turn left. Then take 9 steps…”
This is bothersome to you… “Why is this guy telling me what to do? I can figure it out on my own.”
He can clearly see that you are uncomfortable with his directions, so he interrupts your thoughts. “I only give you direction because I want you to have life.”
You have no idea what he’s talking about. He sees the confusion on your face, so he introduces himself. “I am the keeper of this field. Though I didn’t place the land mines out there, I watched as each one was placed. I know every detail of this land, and I want to share with you the directions to make it to the other side. Following my instructions may take you in a direction you did not anticipate, and it may be a longer journey than what you were hoping for, but you will get to experience life on the other side. Your journey does not have to be full of worry and anxiety because you will know that the path you are taking is the right path.”
You hastily respond, “How do I know you are telling the truth?”
“For starters, I’ve mapped it. You can have a copy of my map.” He tries to hand you the copy; you shrug it off.
“Yea, but you could have made this up.”
He responds with patience. “See that man over there. He is pretty tired, but he is making it. Even though he is tired he’s starting to walk a little faster… yep, now he’s jogging… now he’s running! I gave him the same directions just a bit ago. Now that he’s followed my directions for just a little while and seen that they are good directions, he trusts me now so he is proceeding with greater exuberance. Though the journey is difficult he is excited about what is next. “
The man pauses, and then looks in a different direction, ” Now see that guy over there. He has been pacing that same path for days now. He’s tired too, but he also is stressed out, unsure of his future. I tried to give him directions, but he shrugged me off and stuck the directions in his pocket. Said he didn’t need help from anyone. So day in and day out, he takes 3 steps forward, stops, and repeats the same 3 steps backwards. He’s too scared to do anything beyond that because he doesn’t know what’s next.”
You take in the words of the man standing next to you. You definitely want to make it to the other side, but can you really trust this man? You are in a state of contemplation. Maybe you just shouldn’t take the journey at all… but will you end up like the last man pointed out to you? Will you just end up pacing the same path you always pace?
Once again, the man standing next to you interrupts your thoughts. “You don’t have to follow my directions, but there is only one way to make it across. Here’s a copy of the directions. It is your choice whether or not to follow them.”
You look down at your scarred hands, arms and legs and remember the last mine field you walked through didn’t turn out so well… hey wait, didn’t somebody try to give you direction before you walked through that field also? The man standing next to you is starting to look vaguely familiar… was he the person that tried to give you directions last time but you decided to do it yourself? You’re still holding the directions in your hand. What do you do next?…
This is the place most of us are at. We have a lot of information at our fingertips. We have been shown that our current ways are unhealthy and need changing. God has knocked on our door and handed us His directions just as He has many times before. This place we are in does look vaguely familiar b/c we’ve been here before, but rather than choosing God’s way, historically we chose our own way. So here we are again. We have to make the decision. Our way or God’s way?