One day I noticed that the back of my journal looks like it has a map. Like how some books (mainly Lord of the Rings books) have an expandable map in the back. Upon further inspection, I realized it was no map at all. It was something else, something different.
But, it made me wonder. If there was a map back there, what would the map be of? The journal itself was a present when I graduated; it has a scripture verse on the bottom of every page. Perhaps a map at the end of that kind of journal could be a map of life. How unique would that be; what if God gave us a map for our entire life! Wouldn’t that be incredible?
What if you were given a Map of your Life?
The more you think about it, the more it most certainly would not be incredible! It would be horrendous…awful…which is why God doesn’t work that way. Because God loves us, cares for us, and wants what is best for us. He has designed his plan to be perfect and give us the perfect amount of love, joy, peace, and wonder. Think about all the wonderful ways God comes through for us! From him providing a distinct college to go to, a great job and a great location to move to, leading me to meet such a wonderful, God-loving daughter of God! What marvelous things he does for us!
These would simply not be the same if he gave us the map beforehand! If he gave us the map, then what would we be?
We would not be surprised, we would not be in wonder; we would be children, we would be dull, unloving, and unmoved.
Furthermore, we as humans already struggle immensely with patience! We cannot possibly wait on God to answer prayer; we want the answer now. We want his peace now. I want redemption and adoption now. I want to be in heaven where I am rid of this human flesh and can bask in the glory of Christ forever!
But he doesn’t do that. He gives us wonder, enjoyment, times to sit back and reflect on all the amazing things he has done for us! If I had a map of my entire life, I would be able to see all the awful things that are going to happen and be filled with dread as they approach…or worse, try and plan a way to avoid things that a sovereign God will inevitably bring to pass.
I would also be sick with anticipation of all the great things he would do! If I knew 5 years ago what a wonderful woman God had in store for me, there is no way I would have been able to learn and experience the life he had for me then!
So, no, the back of my journal does not have a map for my life. In fact, the thing I saw in the back of my journal was a little folder pocket. An empty pocket. Something desiring to be filled.
Filled with notes, creation, maybe a map of my own. Perhaps that little pocket was designed so that as God slowly reveals his plan to me, I can draw out the map. I can draw the map out to show what God has done in my life, so I can rest in him knowing his plan is ultimate and complete. Knowing that he has me in his hands. That I no longer need to sit in my worries.
After all, who can possibly add life or time or change anything whatsoever through worry? But trust! Trusting in Christ gets us to all the places we want to go to. It gets us our deepest holiest desires. It sanctifies us and brings us to deeper places in our walk with God. Trusting in him draws the map that we can then look back on. A map we can be glorified in and can glorify God in.
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Previously Published on medium
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