The Cliff

Like most Christians, I frequently find myself confronted by the problem of sin. Be it the sin in my own life that God reveals to me in my daily walk, or in being reminded of the sinful human heart in the Bible, it is a regular, and frustrating feature of life. And because it is so frustrating and regular I tend to end up applying analogies to the problem of sin. Heres one to consider.

Imagine, if you will, that our lives on this earth are essentially an exercise of moving from one side of a mountain to the other. Our daily experiences and activities ultimately amount to fulfilling the objective of getting from A-B and all the highs and lows involved in life can be seen in the context of being immersed in bad weather or climbing various inclines (depression, stress, exhaustion), or taking in breathtaking views, feeling the warmth of the sun on our face, and spending time with companions who might be joining us on the walk (joy, laughter, peace, contentment, encouragement). Its a simple analogy but I hope its making sense thus far.

Now imagine that we have multiple choices of routes for getting over the mountain. As a Christian, God, who promises to make all our paths straight, has provided us with a very clear path that leads over the peak and presumably to point B. It is mostly well marked and paved and is on solid ground, although it still seems to climb steeply in places and looks both long and dull. And yet, as Christians we know it to be God's path and that is the right thing to do. In our lives following God's path would be seeking His wisdom and understanding and guidance in our life, through prayer and studying his word and even in attending and being involved in a church. Its simple then. We know God's path is right and we should follow that.

However, here in comes the problem of sin. Sin in this case involves being lured or decieved into taking the wrong path, or leaving the path entirely, to follow a different way. In many ways this may seem like the wise decision to us. We may follow a path along the mountain that seems more substantial or clear, that seems shorter or avoids the more perillous outcrops of rock that God's path leads over. In other words it seems better and indeed seems better and still runs closely to God's path, if at first. Thus we follow that path but before we know it the path that seemed better has veered ever more sharply away from God's path and we are now scrambling along cliffs fearing for our lives. Sound familiar? And this is the path that tricks us into a positon that is not right with God.

Even more frustrating is the moment when we are walking firmly along God's path and then all of a sudden we glance to one side and see not only a magnificent view but also some great rocks to clamber over. Sadly, we know that the view and the rocks are perilously close to a very dangerous cliff and that we really shouldn't leave God's path, and yet, even though we may have learned from previous experience that it is supreme folly to be lured in by the view and the rocks, we leave the path and ever more venture into what seems wonderful. Of course, the Devil and our own foolish hearts tell us more and more that what is foolish is actually fun and amazing and we end up closer and closer to the cliff edge and then - crash, bang, ouch!

You fall down the cliff and cling on helpless, hurting, lost, afraid, knowing that you should have stayed on God's path. Frustration, sadness and lonliness take over.

Of course, this is yet another mountain analogy from a mountain man, but you could equally change the mountain journey to one crossing a city. God provides a safe, well lit street to help you get from one place to another. But for the sake of convenience, time, or through laziness we try to take even the smallest short-cut and end up in a dark, scary back ally. Or, as with the view and the rocks we are lured into a part of town that is most definately dodgy and suddenly find ourselves facing a gang or some other peril.

Thankfully, as frustrating as it is to know that as sinful, foolish people we will make the mistake of leaving God's path, how wonderful is it to know that Jesus is the ultimate friend, companion and rescuer? Be he the mountain rescue worker who not only pulls you up but also heals your every ache and then helps you be planted fimly back on his path, or the policeman and councellor who rescues you from the inner city peril, he trully is a loving, wonderous, awesome God.

Dreams Gone By

Thinking about direction as much as I have recently its surprising (to me at least) that I've only just got around to paying any attention to where I had envisioned myself in years gone by. So here is a somewhat clouded record of where I thought I would be.

1. Youth - Well, by youth I mean aged 3-16, but you can include a variety of careers in that from astronaught and submariner, to architect, engineer, racing driver, fighter pilot.

2. High School - Here it got a bit more compicated but I was still thinking fighter pilot and architect.

3. Sixth Form - By this point I made choices of subject that plunged me firmly down the line of politics, history and geography. If anything I was drawn most to geographical careers. Vulcanology, meteorology, hydrology. All of these I found facinating and it seemed like a great idea to think about a career in one of those. However, one bad exam result (which it turned out eventually was very much a one off) and the need to apply for Uni before I knew my overall result led to me applying for history.

4. Uni - So as I started Uni I was a history student and knew only that I would like to leave Uni with a good job, well paid, probably in government. Even having become a Christian that idea of a well paid government position stayed firm in my mind and as I entered my last year I was all for working for the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office in an embassy somewhere. And yet, before I knew it God was working in my heart and changing my career direction all in one. Certainty was replaced by doubt and I was led into my masters degree.

5. MPhil - I began my MPhil thinking that it would lead into a PhD and ultimately academia. And yet, through circumstances no-one could envisage it all of a sudden became a simple MPhil and once more my immediate future seemed in doubt. More and more as I grew as a Christian the doubt grew, until it began to be shaped into a clear belief in serving God. This took the path at first of applying for the Relay training scheme, only for that door to be closed as I became overwhelmed with an MPhil that was far more of an undertaking than I could ever have imagined. And that brings me to now.... continuing to desire to serve God but trying to determine how best to do that.

The only certainty through all of this is that God has changed my perspectives and desires for the future in a way that 6 years ago I could not have forseen. In a way its been frustrating and difficult to see doors close and horizons seem impassible but its also exciting to know that God will and can continue to shape and mold me and my future.

The picture is from Calderstones Park, Liverpool.

Liverpool

Apparently my last post was my 200th. All very exciting, but I'm delighted I didn't try and dazzle you all with a glitzy, showy, wonder post to mark by bicentennial. Much better to write a line of my surprise here and move on.

Today has been a good day and inspite of waking up absolutely exhausted I was filled with a joyful thankfulness in my heart, praising the Lord. Great start! I then had some dinner and met up with Andy Moll in Liverpool which was an excellent follow up. Circumstance has brought to a halt what was a weekly time of friendship and fellowship in the past, so it was really good to catch up over a beveridge and then head into Calderstone Park for some photo taking.

And then, after Andy left, I decided to park the car in Allerton and essentially take advantage of the sunny weather to walk what was my regular walk when I lived there - down to Sefton Park and back. Which was also great. It trully is an amazing release to spend some time down there amongst God's creation, a fact that I was trully thankful for last year. I can't tell you the number of times that i ventured down there with my Bible to read God's word or simply to pray quietly to myself, and the number of times God granted me his strength and guidence. Of course, this time it was a little different. Knowing that Sefton and the streets leading up to it are such important places in my past made it exceptionally strange to know that I don't live there anymore and that it isn't really the place thats most at hand when I would like a breath of fresh air. Not wanting to lament too much, it was actually a little sad, especially thinking of all the friends that have come and gone and are leaving soon too.

But, my walk today did allow me to dwell upon some wonderous truths about the Lord and to appreciate his awesome and wonderous sovereignty not just in my life but also my friends. He trully is an incredible, loving, faithful God and the sadness of moving on is undoubtedly equalled and surpassed by the excitement of trusting and seeking after the Lord as He guides us into the future.

Beauty

Direction

As I write I feel a bit clueless in terms of direction, especially in terms of work. Which is a bit of a problem. You see, each day I wake up thinking 'What do I do today?'. The immediate answer is, prayerfully, a simple and straightforward one - look for jobs. If I find any that seem slightly interesting I then proceed to the next obvious step and apply. Simple enough you might think. But, heres the current poser. What if that isn't the right step? What if I should attempt to get direction first and then plan from then on in. Isn't that a more practical process.

Let me address this in another way. I am particulary fond of the outdoors and hiking in particular. Hiking is a joyous and wonderful experience (for me at least :-p), bringing with it health, enrichment, solitude and fellowship in equal measure. It is brilliant! And yet, it is also perilous if not regarded with respect and wisdom. Only a fool would venture out onto the hills unprepared. A beautiful summers day can be replaced in an instant by a blanket of cloud bringing not only wind, rain or snow, but also zero visability. Before you know it you are cold, wet and have no idea where the previously obvious footpath is. If you haven't brought a map then you don't even know how to get down (by another route). If you haven't got warm clothes or waterproofs then you will lose heat rapidly and face the dangers of hypothermia and death. If you have no food or water then you are again in trouble. In other words without planning and preparation to go somewhere beautiful and wonderful can turn into a nightmare.

Of course, you could go walking unprepared and it could be fine. Beautiful summers day, no issues. And the same is true of my current career searching and job applications. I could just 'go with the flow' and something could turn up and that is the way to go. Or, should I learn from my hiking experience and take a step back and plan and think about the route to take and prepare myself before taking the plunge? I just don't know folks.

And yet, the Bible, God's truthful and wonderful word tells me that if I sit and endure patiently, and put my hope in the Lord He will make my paths straight. Surely that is more than any planning ever could amount to.