Sometimes life is like driving through a fog; you can't see more than a few yards in front of you.
Over the course of my early conversion, I had been on PLENTY of retreats. Some of them stick out more than others, much like some of the memories, experiences, and discussions. However, there is one testimony I heard from a priest while in Long Branch, NJ, that I will never forget. It was about fog and God’s will…..yes...fog.
As a TOTAL weather nerd, the priest had my undivided attention. I received my degree in Meteorology from Rutgers University 8 years ago (wow I’m old), and was incredibly intrigued to see how he was going to tie two of my strongest loves together. What he said still resonates with me to this day.
He started by painting a mental picture for us. It’s late on a Monday night, you just watched the Eagles lose to a weaker opponent, you are leaving your friends house, and you walk outside to a blanket of thick fog. You start your car, eager to head home, and the fog gets thicker. Now, our instinct tells you to put on the high beams….bad move...adding more light only hurts this situation, showing how wrong our made up solutions can sometimes be. So you think back to Driver’s Ed class in high school, turn your low beams on, keep your eyes peeled, and pray that The Lord keeps you safe.
He continued by saying trusting in God is like driving in this fog. Trusting in God can be easy, when we see our path laid out in front of us, or when things are going our way. The destination is clear, and so are the various checkpoints along the way, it’s easy....easy like Sunday morning. It gets a lot more difficult when we can’t see our final destination or much less even the next step. It is those moments, when we aren’t sure where to turn next, that God guides us through the fog if we let Him.
Even in the densest of fog, we can still see a few feet / yards in front of you….but that’s it! Therefore, we have to take the journey slowly, only focusing on the immediate task in front of us. We can’t worry about the sharp left hand bank that we know is coming in 2 miles, instead we have to focus on this gentle right turn at the upcoming stop sign. We need to live our spiritual lives with the same mentality.
We like to know how things will end, many of my friends have confessed reading the final chapter of a book before arriving there naturally...it’s human nature. However, God doesn’t work like that. He wants to surprise us, he wants to give us a plan greater than anything we could ever imagine, a plan for us to prosper, and a plan full of hope.
The only way we can attain this plan is by staying in His will each day; by navigating the next turn well, before we ponder what the destination looks like. If we look too far ahead, and try to figure out where God is taking us, we’re going to lose focus and could possibly miss what he has for us. We could make a wrong turn, drive over a speed bump too quickly, or run an obvious red light. Each scenario has consequences that were never a part of his ultimate plan for us.
So sit back, buckle up, turn on some good music, and focus on where you are RIGHT NOW. Traverse over the next 50 yards safely and prudently, then worry about the following 50 yards when you get there. Get through this day by remaining in God’s will….then do the same thing tomorrow….and the next day. If you do this, God will guide you through the fog, and take you EXACTLY where you’re supposed to be.
Jesus, I trust in you.