WALKING THE PATH OF CONNECTION

Picture yourself standing at the crossroads trying to choose which path to take…how can you walk the path of connection?  Hopefully in that place you have already made the vertical connection with God, but now it is time to get going…time to decide on a path…time to take the first step.

 

We first learned that God has designed us with an innate need to connect with Him and others.  Last week we went on to further explore the PLACE OF CONNECTION, which happens at the crossroads where our faith and our life intersect. Our vertical connection with God is the starting point as we begin our journey on the PATH OF CONNECTION.

And that is where we find ourselves today, dear friends.

PART 2:  Walking the PATH of CONNECTION

How do we find and connect with the path God has chosen for us?

How do we choose a path with:

Purpose?

Meaning?

Intentionality?

Mindfulness?

Passion?

The crossroads is such a useful image and metaphor for us as we search for that PATH OF CONNECTION for many reasons.

Though a literal definition of crossroads might be something like “the point where two roads meet,” it is more often used in a figurative way to mean a situation that requires some important choice must be made.

 Life is a series of decisions we must make. Some are seemingly inconsequential and have repercussions that are barely felt.  Others are somewhere in the middle so we can feel the results on a deeper level. Then there are the major life decisions we all face on this earth:  ones that will alter the course of our lives.

Should I go to college?

Whom should I marry?

Do we have children?

Which career path do I take?

Where should I live?

Often the crossroads appear to us on the horizon. We can see them coming ahead, so we take time to stop and consider.  We ask God and others for guidance.  We try to choose mindfully and purposefully.

Other times, crossroads seem to appear out of nowhere.  We come upon them suddenly due to a life circumstance, the actions of someone else, or our own poor planning.  In these instances, God may use trials, people, or our circumstances to get us to point of making a decision.

If you are feeling disconnected in any area of your life today: with God, your spouse, a family member or friend, your job, or your passion and purpose, you are at a crossroads whether you realize it and or not. And the path you choose will lead you to either CONNECTION or DISCONNECTION.

I believe there are many of us who live our lives not understanding why we make the decisions we do or why we choose the paths we take.  We let life happen to us instead of being intentional, mindful and purposeful about making life happen.  But I do not want to live like that and that is why I started my blog and my journey.

I am on a lifelong quest to find the PATH OF CONNECTION and then to walk it by faith.

Easier said than done, right? How do we do choose and walk that path?

When we stand at the crossroads, sometimes there are two choices to decide between and other times there are multiple options, further confusing the decision making process.

Sometimes the crossroads is a definite choice of:  right vs wrong/good vs bad.

Like choosing to follow God or not. I wrote a post entitled “When You Need to Get Out of Moab” that speaks directly to this issue of leaving places we do not belong to get back on the right path. If you are struggling with this today, please read that post.

Other times, the crossroads can provide us several different paths to an equally good, but different outcome. That is when we need to get on our knees, pray, and ask God to lead us by faith.

If we trust in God’s leading, this is what He promises in Proverbs 3:5-6:

“Trust in the LORD with all of your heart;

do not depend on your own understanding.

Seek his will in all you do,

And he will show you which path to take.”

Maybe you were hoping for more specific directions, a step by step guide, or even flashing signposts. I confess I want those things too sometimes.

But walking the PATH OF CONNECTION does not work like that. Instead of being given a road map that shows each obstacle, peak, valley, rest stop, and detour, God gives us the next step.  Just enough information to make the next right choice on the journey.

It is about starting down the right road, and every day, at every turn,

TAKING THE NEXT RIGHT STEP.

It is the definition of walking by faith not by sight, and it is the only way we can journey down the PATH OF CONNECTION.

I do not know how many times I have given that advice to myself and to people who are struggling with choosing a path:  DO THE NEXT RIGHT THING.  TAKE THE NEXT RIGHT STEP.

Proverbs 4:25-26 encourages:

“Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path.”

God has a unique and specific path for each one of us.

A place where we can connect with Him, with our purpose, and with others.

I think this is what God is gently whispering in our ears as we search for that PATH OF CONNECTION…the right route for our souls:

Take the next step.

Walk the course I have mapped out for you.

Keep your eyes fixed and focused on Me.

Do not worry about what is ahead or what is behind.

I have set your pace.

I am ordering your steps.

Proverbs 16:9 tells us:

“We can make our plans, but he LORD determines our steps.”

W can trust Him as we walk the path He has set for us, doing what He has called us to do.  And as we do this faithfully and consistently, we find ourselves walking the PATH OF CONNECTION.

I know this is a lot to absorb as you start this #MindfulMonday, but consider these questions throughout the week as you seek to walk the PATH OF CONNECTION:

• Are you on God’s path or your own?
• Are you willing to trust God even though you may not be able to see what is up ahead?
• How are you going to get moving?  What is the next right step you need to take today?

 

I am so thankful as I start this week that so many of you are walking alongside of me on the PATH OF CONNECTION.   If you are still struggling to find that place and path, please contact me.  I would love to pray for and encourage you on your journey.

Next #MindfulMonday we will seek to not only find but be PEOPLE OF CONNECTION, so please join us again here AT THE CROSSROADS!

 

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