...being led

Today it’s Palm Sunday and I had been asked quite some time ago to share a personal journey with others at Church.

The date had not resonated with me but as I have discovered so many times in my life, things rarely happen by chance. This date, this time and this place – all felt pre-ordained. I had been led by an experience and now was being led by God to share.

Being led felt fulfilling, the spirit of God was in that time and space and all points were converging to achieve the maximum impact.

But it also made me wonder how many times have I pulled in the opposite direction to God’s leading? And how do I know when God is in control and how do I let Him truly guide my life?

It made me think about how it feels when I take my dog for a walk. She is excited by all the opportunities open to her – the sense of excitement is overwhelming. The sights, the sounds and the smells send her into a whirl of choices.

Sometimes I keep her on a tight leash and have the determination to train her every step of the way. But it hurts, she causes me relentless pain and it requires endless repetition of commands…when will she listen and respond to the teaching that I know she understands?

I recognise myself in the above and feel the pain that I must cause God the Father. But God doesn’t have me on a leash, He has given me freedom to be led by Him or not. To keep Him in my vision and follow the ‘walk’ that He has planned for me, or not.

This can feel like an exercise in divergence – the chance to explore all that is out there in life. God gives us the skills to use our intuition, along with discernment and wisdom to converge on the right choices.  But in life we may converge too quickly or remain in this state without reviewing the opportunities that God calls us to explore.

Convergence without exploration and openness to change could be deciphered as the fear to truly be led by God. Convergence should not be mistaken for taking the easy path; our path in life will not remain unchanged. God does ask us to continually seek and grow in Him.

Easter is a time where Jesus’ divergent journey comes together. Where all the pre-ordained predictions from Prophets throughout the Old Testament converge in that time and place.

So for me, this Easter is a good time to evaluate my journey with God and to continually remain open to His leading.

What about you?