“ON DIRECTION”
“Listen, my son, and follow my direction, and the years of your life will be many. I instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble.
Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life. Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way.”
– Proverbs 4:10-15
There is an old saying that goes like this, “Beliefs is…you ain’t never lost if you don’t care where you are.” Back in the day St. Paul wrote to his friends at Ephesus these good words… “You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly…” (Ephesians 4:4).
It’s easy to get lost if you travel alone, and with no known destination; but it is less difficult to do if there is someone nearby to help point the way and especially if at least one of the travelers cares where he or she is going!
Recently, our nation held an election.
Because of the internet we all know way much more about the world than we did early in the 21st century or before.
We learn a myriad of details and it seems everyone has an opinion… especially those with Facebook or X accounts or host a podcast or have a social media platform.
Maybe that’s just one contributor to current social anxiety… knowing too much or not trusting what is true and what isn’t. And in every election one candidate wins and the other does not… even though life carries on and the candidates and their supporters are still hanging around. It’s not like nine innings or four quarters… it is a defining moment… at least for four more years… and what some have noted is our country is divided… saying half of the people lean in one direction and half of the people lean in another direction. But when we look carefully… there is not division… rather a fragmentation exists.
As the election results have been published it was reported that one presidential candidate received 76.4 million votes. The other presidential candidate garnered 73.7 million votes. Yet, the last time I looked there were about 330 million people living in the USA meaning over 180 million residents couldn’t vote… didn’t vote… or didn’t care to vote. That’s not division… that’s majority of voters who could have elected me or you as president… in the biggest landslide ever! So… what direction is our country headed?
I’m old enough to know that just about every generation has claimed that a certain portion of the coming generation is lost and maintain little hope that any of them will find their way back to the path called the straight and narrow.
But… if that is true for each and every generation… then there has been at least a remnant within that current generation to keep the rest of the folks from being swept down the proverbial drain…
When God led the Israelites out of Egypt using a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, they were provided a marker to keep their eyes on. The trouble was that the marker moved and in the end the Israelites proved to be faulty followers.
But, if Jesus is our “north star,” fixed and able to be followed, then when it comes to the fullness of life, we are less prone to get lost and if we do, God promises to lead us back… as the writer of Proverbs wrote with a purpose in order that wisdom could have its way keeping people from stumbling as they walk down life’s road.
So… take heart as we walk together and trust the Psalmist’s words… “God is fair and just; correcting the misdirected; Sending them in the right direction!” (Psalm 25:8). Faith matters… on and after election day and the next day after that!
The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Gigee is a long-time resident of Pearland, having pastored four churches over the last four decades in Texas and Louisiana. Read more following Brian’s blog ‘murmurings’ at https://briangigee.wordpress.com/. Send comments and/or questions to godworks247365@gmail.com.
