I wrote the piece below on May 24, 2013. I am sharing it with you again as a precursor to next week's follow-up Reflection. Sometimes it is only in hindsight that we can see God's handiwork in our lives. Time travel back to 2013!
Less than one month ago, my eldest son, Steven, stood at a crossroad, trying to discern God's call on his life for the summer months. He phoned me late one evening, relating that his prior supervisor at The Calvin Center, Bill Davis, had offered him a position as the summer day camp coordinator at Highlands Presbyterian Camp & Retreat Center just outside Denver.
While Steven has held camp coordinator positions at Calvin for the past three summers, taking a position in Colorado was perhaps a bit outside his comfort zone. I told him that the choice was his to make, and that I would certainly support whatever he decided. I suggested that he ask Bill for time to pray about it and discern God's leading.
As we ended the call, the text of one of my favorite youth anthems came to mind ... "Order my steps in your Word, dear Lord. Lead me, guide me every day. Send your anointing, Father, I pray. Humbly, I ask Thee, teach me your will. While you are working, help me be still. I want to walk worthy, Lord, my calling to fulfill."
Life is a never-ending series of choices for each of us. How can we know whether we are making the right decisions? As children of God, we are promised that we don't walk blindly. When we pray with a humble heart, seeking God's will for our lives, the psalmist David tells us that "our steps are made firm by the Lord, when he delights in our way; though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the Lord holds us by the hand." Psalm 37:23-24
I took Steven to the airport on Monday, and he boarded a plane for Denver to begin this leg of his journey. Through moist eyes and with a lump in my throat, I hugged him, told him I loved him, and wished him a terrific summer. Later that evening, I received a lengthy email from Steven, telling me all the details of his flight, the long car ride to camp through many small towns, and how much he already loved the view of the snow-capped mountain behind his lodging.
A picture is worth a thousand words, as they say. Highlands' home page displays a photo of the snow-capped mountain in the distance beyond the lodge Steven will call home for the summer, and I have the peace of knowing that he is in the place just right!
Prayer for Today
Great is Thy faithfulness, O Lord. Help us to be still, with humble hearts, truly seeking your ordering of our steps this day. Lead us and guide us, we pray. Amen.
