If you have not done so before, please review the Background on the Program

As you start to review this episode, please know that YOU matter. Regardless of what you are struggling with, regardless of the depths of your sorrows and regardless of how lonely you feel, the Good News is that YOU matter. I hope the message below nourishes you in the most meaningful way to comfort you and strengthen you to keep climbing into the ring to face your battles.

Episode #2: Take the First Step

Today’s episode starts with a song from U2, I Still Haven’t Found What I am Looking For.

Please spend a few minutes listening to any version you can find on the internet.

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Welcome back… 

I hope you enjoyed that song. Bono, the lead singer for U2, is an amazing songwriter and singer. He drew much of his inspiration from the ancient scriptures that have guided the Jewish and Christian faiths. In many ways, the title and chorus of this song speaks to many of us who are still searching for purpose or for a cause that would seem to make us fulfilled. We all seem to have this persistent reality that we are in need of the next mountain to climb or goal to achieve as soon as we reach what was once thought to be a spot where we “made it” in our personal or professional life. Regardless of our stage in life, as we move from one chapter to another, we see a new horizon before us and have a hunger to continue to search for “what I am looking for.”

For many, this endless quest can be a cause for some dark thoughts as we seem to be in this forever search for some meaningful peace as we pass through various stages of life.

When we look into the ancient scriptures, we find some helpful guidance to deal with our ongoing challenge of searching for the elusive purpose or accomplishment to find peace. There is one particular scripture that can help outline what is a constant theme in many parts of scripture, Joshua Chapter 3 (please find a version of this scripture on the internet).   

The backdrop of this situation is that Moses has led the Jewish people out of slavery in Egypt and 40 years of wondering in the desert in search of the Promised Land.  However, in the events leading up to this moment, God decided to remove Moses from the rest of history (longer story on why and we may cover in some other program) and God put Joshua in charge of this last step of crossing the Jordan River and provide the Jewish people with the land God promised.

God spoke to Joshua with instructions in verse 8 “Tell the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.”

The people were afraid of crossing the Jordan River because it was at flood stage during this time of year and it seemed impossible to cross.  God’s instruction was clear when He said the priests must first take their steps into the river with a promise that they would be safe.

In verses 15-17, we learn what happens when we take our first steps in faith without really knowing what will happen next. “Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away…The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.”

This crossing of the Jordan River is a reminder to us that action proceeds purpose and peace.  We can’t just sit around and hope for purpose and peace to arrive on our doorstep.  The journey for peace is an active process that requires us to step into the water first in order to make progress towards fully developing the purpose and meaning of our life.

It is through activity that we find direction for our lives. Activity helps us engage with others and those engagements help us find opportunities to help and serve the needs of others. Activity literally gets our blood flowing and our mind active. Without activity, we run the risk of staying in a dark valley of idleness, worry, anxiety and eventual despair. 

Regardless if we still are not sure of the direction of our lives, we should find peace in activity as it will be through that very activity that will create the ability to see our future better and more fully appreciate that life is about the journey and not the destination.

Each time we come to a “destination” we create a new one and that is the reality of this life. This story of Joshua’s leadership of the Jewish people to take the first step is also helpful for us as we search for “what we’re looking for”….keep taking steps forward and find peace in that journey.

This message can give us hope that we can find peace as we journey along by the mere act of moving forward and doing something.

Take a moment to reflect on the following questions:

• When have I encountered some feelings of being “unfulfilled” or “still searching” after accomplishing some major milestone or passing through a major chapter in life?
• How have I dealt with the feeling of being “unfulfilled” or “still searching” after accomplishing some major milestone or passing through a major chapter in life?  

As we continue along in our journey, it is important that we remember that God wants us to continue to take the first step in faith as we look to be our best. He has always been faithful to open that next door when we have been faithful to take the next step.

As you continue to reflect on the message, please take a moment to search the internet to find and listen to Alison Krauss singing I Know Who Holds Tomorrow.     

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How can I help you today? My mobile is 269-370-9275 and my email is david@harvesttimepartners.com  

Please download some FREE resources at www.harvesttimepartners.com  I hope you will find them helpful in your journey.