At this stage in life you have learned to pretty much recognize “Land Mines,” having stepped on them a number of times and managed to come out wounded but not destroyed. Land mines are those nasty little bombs buried just beneath the surface of the ground; you don’t know you’ve stepped on until you hear the little click. By then it is too late. You can’t take that step back. You know when you remove your foot that the next thing you are going to hear is boom…but you think to yourself, that maybe your body will survive the impact. That is the question. Hundreds of thoughts run through your mind in just a few seconds… “Why did I take this path? Why didn’t I listen to so and so and go the other way? This’s it, I’m done for.?” Then your reasoning kicks in. “Well, if I jump with lightning speed, maybe I will clear it, before it explodes.” Your heart races, your whole body jerks with fear, sweat pours from your body as if a bucket of water has been poured over you and you know this is a no win situation.
Life is like that…somehow you manage to get through all the hurt and pain and survive vowing never to do that again.
Then there are the “Land Marks” in life. Those life events that are important to you. People, places, things, you recognize.
You’re young you meet the love of your life and you marry. That’s one land mark.
Then, your children arrive, that’s another land mark.
Just when you can’t decide what your true purpose in life is, you come to discover you’ve been chosen for that much sought after dream job…this land mark, takes you to a whole new level of desires and realms you never imagined.
Money is no longer an issue. You have the prestige of being the CEO of your own company. You’re a world traveler. Your family is thriving but…
But between the land mines, and land marks, you discover something is missing…
You begin to wonder about all those times you heard your mother praying for you, alone in her room; her words begin to haunt you in your dreams which become nightmares. The kids are unhappy. Your marriage is falling apart and all the glamour and fame you thought was the answer to all your problems begin to wear you out. Now all you want is to find some peace. You have stepped on a land mine and didn’t even know it.
You start to ask yourself…“Why am I really here? What is my true purpose? If I jump quickly, maybe I will land safe from the explosive device that is about to take me out.” And then you remember the words of your mother…
Trust God in all things…
Proverbs 3:5-12 The Message (MSG)
Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life! Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best. Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over. But don’t, dear friend, resent God’s discipline; don’t sulk under his loving correction. It’s the child he loves that God corrects; a father’s delight is behind all this.
