As a kid, my dad would affectionately call me a klutz. It usually accompanied a trip or a bump or something knocked over. My mom, on the other hand would say, “Debbie – please watch what you’re doing. You weren’t even looking in the direction you were walking.”

That walking left and looking right thing can be dangerous. Moving ahead while glancing over your shoulder is likely to take you somewhere you wished you hadn’t gone. It does make sense, however, to take an occasional pit stop to get your bearings, evaluate your surroundings and ensure you are still on track.

There are times when it seems appropriate to look back over our life and assess the landscape of where you find yourself in life.  Age 21, 30, 40, or 50 – all seem significant enough to encourage a review. Is this where I thought I’d be? Am I doing the things I thought I’d be doing?  Often, for me, the answer has been a great big absolutely not! I haven’t been to Paris, lost that extra 15 (okay, 20) pounds, and I couldn’t ice skate if my life depended on it. There are many items on the list not yet accomplished in several categories, both personal and professional. I really did think more of them would be checked off by now.

But in so many other ways, I believe that my life is better than I had envisioned it would be.  But that’s not a quick assessment – I had to release some things and embrace others. You can’t do both at once.

I had to let go of some of those things I had my heart set on to allow me to reach out and grab onto the things God was asking me to do. The Lord promises us that if we let go, there are good things ahead for us: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,” Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT).

To quote another DIB writer, “The surest way to be disappointed is to set your heart on something other than God. “- Crista Ashworth

I had set my heart on some of my life’s ‘to-do’ list that were my ideas. All me. Things I thought up. Out of my own head. Because they appealed to me, not because God directed me toward them. They weren’t bad things, in fact, some were focused on Him. But they were not part of a plan that came from His lips to my ears.

God does have a plan for us that’s full of hope and a future, meant to bless us according to Jeremiah. But at times we find ourselves feeling uncertain, floundering for direction and wondering whether we can get “there” from here. We can – if we seek Him moment to moment.

Here are four steps to SEEKing Him:

• Stand Fast
• Engage
• Embrace
• Step Out

Stand Fast

Our oldest son was five when we lost him at the mall. My husband and I had prepared him for the possibility that we might get separated when we were out. We felt the instructions we had provided for this possibility were clear: “Stay put. Stay in the same place you were last with mom and dad. Don’t leave that spot.”

But in the moment, Cameron panicked. He ran from the store out into the mall, determined to get back to our car. In his mind this made sense. It was one of the most frightening things we ever experienced with one of our kids and it seemed to take forever to find him, although in reality, it was only 10 minutes.

When we asked him why he ran, he told us, “I had to find you before you left me. I just felt like I needed to go.” Although we had never left him before, and our parenting to this point didn’t seem to paint us as parents who’d conveniently leave a kid behind at the mall, this rationale made sense to him. He felt like he had to do something, he needed to take action.

Sound familiar? Sometimes when we are uncertain about the direction we should take, we panic. And we go, as though our inaction might mean God will go on without us, leaving us behind.  When uncertain which way to go – stay put. Stand fast in the last spot you were confidant He led you to. You are safe in that spot. But don’t get too comfortable, because you will need to enter in to spend time with God to discover your next step.

Enter In

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me,” John 10:27 (NLT).  We recognize the voice of those with whom we regularly communicate. When a close friend calls, she doesn’t need to announce her identify. Her voice is familiar. It’s the same with God. Pray, spend time in the scriptures, and sit before Him quietly. Entering into regular times of communication with God helps us recognize His voice and gain confidence in knowing where to go and when to move.

Embrace

The Lord once asked me to lay aside a project He gave me to support someone else in a similar endeavor. I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t want to do it. But I had heard it loud and clear. And as always, it was a choice He left up to me. I chose to be obedient (ok, ok, there was a little preliminary sulking) and did as He asked. It worked out in a way I could not have imagined. The offer of help was gracefully received, but ultimately, my assistance was not necessary. God released me, and a valuable lesson was mine. Willingness to embrace his direction is sometimes all that He requires. At other times, He asks for the whole nine yards. But the insight that came from this experience enabled, empowered and enhanced me to do what I could not have done without it.

Be prepared to open your thinking and ultimately to embrace His plan. It might not be the plan you envisioned and perhaps not the one you hoped for. You do have the option to set out on a path of your own making. But you may find yourself, like my son, running desperately from place to place, trying to “get to the car” before you get left behind. The first step to embrace His plan is to let go of yours. Offer it to God in prayer, consciously laying it aside and ask for the courage to move in the direction He has designed. Sidestep the disappointment that comes with passing on God’s plan in favor of your own. He’s got the panoramic view of our lives from His vantage point.

Step Out

You’ve done the hard work: you waited, you spent time in God’s presence and you decided to do it His way. Now that you have some clarity, it’s time to step out of your comfort zone. Write a list of things you believe He has asked you to do. Make another list of the things you feel He may be asking you to lay down in order to do them. Listen closely. Be brave and take the time to let Him help plan your journey and create a deliberate path.

Share your plan with a close friend or family member and ask them to hold you accountable to follow faithfully. And remember: don’t look back – you’re not going that way!

Deb DeArmond

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