Don't Squander the Wander!

Why, Dad?

Because I said so.

Remember those days of youth? While I could recite a million instances in my own life of this interaction, I’ll leave the scene for you to fill with your own memories. I imagine some reminders would make you giggle. Other memories, maybe far too many, would bring a tear to your eye, and a thankful heart, for a father who knew better than we did, and was ultimately for our good.

I will say, my favorite correction interaction with my own dad, was when I was a teenaged driver. He knew exactly what I had done, and before I could explain, he just looked me in the eye, and said, tell me again what you didn’t do?

Oh, he knew.

And, he didn’t need my story, he was focused on helping me get to the solution. He held my hand and brought me back to the place of restoration. That’s a glimpse of love in truth, love wrapped in truth, love propelled by truth.

Authority is in place to keep us safe. For our good. To keep us on the narrow road of all things good for us in a world full of competing voices and really bad choices. Our Father loves us and wants to keep us from running off in search of things that sound good, but just aren’t what He had in mind.

The subtle off-ramp from the narrow road can be intoxicating to all of us in some form or fashion. It is tempting to tilt the steering wheel ever so slightly to the right, without a blinker showing our intent, gliding right off into the side roads of life unannounced. Without a good map. Without GPS signal. We just head off towards what looks good, or sounds good, or feels good in the moment.

Its like we’re the kid in the back seat, holding the little GPS box in our soft, small paws, turning it in circles. Giggling. Playing with the route, without a care in the world. That gizmo gets stuck re-calculating, because we’ve twisted it away from true north. And we wonder why we can’t find our way home.

No one understands this concept of authority better than the Father in Heaven who set everything into motion. This is the basis of His design. He says so. We can ask, and He will explain, but at the end of the day, it is God who reigns. He alone is on the throne. He decides, and He makes the rules. He isn’t just the GPS, He created true north!

Anyone else who tries to sneak a sliver of that glory will find themselves in a tough spot quick enough, along with all who have forsaken their first love and gone wandering off to the newest shimmering stone.

Sometimes God just lets us figure it out the hard way.

But He always gives us reminders of the way back home.

He longs for you to come back home.

The most difficult thing about this truth is that it might just pinch the toes of people we love. Deeply love. Family. Friends. See, no one knows they are being led astray from pure love when they are in the midst of being led astray. Otherwise, would they be led? Would they stray? Highly doubtful.

And it just stinks to watch people we love, live among, and pray for, head down the yellow brick road, only to find the wizard just isn’t what they imagined. When that curtain is pulled back, and the booming voice is shown to be a little man with a big megaphone, thoughts reel and brain waves cringe. What did we do? Where are we now? Oops. Now what?

Well, again, that’s the great thing about God. He doesn’t wave you off, as if its too late to re-calculate. He gazes upon you with perfect love and scoops you back into the fold of truth.

He says, no matter, child, you’re home now. It’s ok. Rest in My love and truth. Rest in My best for you. You’ve had quite the journey.

The Father loves you and wants the best for you. Even if it doesn’t seem flashy enough, or emotional enough, or pleasing enough, or whatever it is that gets you to the point of saying enough.

The world will always fall short, and leave us weighed, measured, and found wanting.

The quick emotional high of any sort of spirituality minus the tether to Jesus and His blood and resurrection power will also leave us empty. Anything that doesn’t recognize the Father as ultimate authority in our lives will just fall short. It won’t last, or won’t follow through, or do what it promises to do. The promises of Jesus are yes and amen, and He never fails. His yes might seem slow, His amen might be quiet, but it is there. For you. Today. Forever. He has spoken.

This is the truth.

In love.