Directions?

2015/June by Marji Laine 2 Comments

I did a post not long ago about walking in one direction. Frankly, it’s impossible to walk any other way. I get the picture of a Sylvester the Cat cartoon. The one where he splits in two and runs away from himself until his tail acts like a bungy cord and pops him back together.

Okay, anyone growing up after the 80s has no idea what I’m talking about with that. Just ignore and move on!

Our newest collaboration novella, Unlikely Merger, (chapter 1 posts on Monday!) deals with a couple of spiritual issues, but the biggest one pertains to this. Not only walking in a single direction, but also knowing which direction to walk.

Mercy Lacewell, the heroine, left nursing school to help her father when he had his stroke. You might remember her from shipboard in Love Boat Bachelor. But now that her dad no longer needs her as his nurse, she’s at a loss for what to do?

How does God show you the direction you should take? I can think of 3 things I can do to help me see His leading – but He’s God, so He surely has more than just 3 ways!

1. Where are my talents?

I’ve often considered myself as a jack of all trades and master of none. That’s not entirely true. There are a LOT of things I can’t do and don’t even want to try (rock climbing, for instance). And there are a few things that I do pretty well. I wouldn’t say I’ve mastered them, but I do them well enough to teach them.

My list includes: teaching, acting, directing, writing, social media, blogging, scrapbooking, photography, working with children, singing.

The Lord assigned talents. He did His part. My part is doing them to the best of my ability. Practicing, learning, and growing in my skill. If I do that, then the results of the talents, success or failure, is in His hands.

2. What are my passions?

Looking at my list of talents, I have to figure out where my passions are right now. I firmly believe Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” He moves a heart that is open to Him.

At one time, my passion was finding the perfect tool to teach each individual student in my classroom. Then I enjoyed researching and planning curriculum for the 3 grades I taught at home. As my children grew and needed me less, I fell in love with scrapbooking and photography. God used that, opening up doors and new friendships during a decade-long business.

It’s funny. I never even noticed how my passions changed until suddenly, they were different. At this point, I have a passion for my stories. A vacation to me is uninterrupted writing time! No joke. New stories erupt in my head faster than I can even jot down notes about them.

That’s not my only passion. I still love working with children, acting and singing, and I keep up with photography and scrapbooking periodically, but my focused passion is writing the words He gives me.

3. What are my trusted advisers saying?

My mom started me down this path. At the apex of my scrapbooking business, when I was making good money and hosting monthly classes, workshops, and retreats, she asked me what I would do if time and money weren’t an issue.

I said, “Write.” I surprised myself. But it was so true. Realizing that growing passion, I spoke to my husband – my best thermometer – and he supported me whole heartedly.

Even today, when I begin to doubt that I’ve chosen the Lord’s path for me, He’ll place someone in my way to encourage or offer an event that confirms I’m where He wants me to be.

Your turn: How do you confirm that you’re on the path the Lord has for you?