Landmarks in a Life of Faith

By Sunday morning only a few hardy souls remained at Peace Lutheran Church’s annual ice fishing trip.  The forecast called for snow…snow…more snow…and wind: up to a foot of snow with 30 mile per hour winds.  The cabin emptied out on Saturday evening with many deciding that prudence was the wise decision.  The rest of us hunkered down for a good storm.

After a hearty breakfast and worship (yes, a bunch of guys DID worship on Sunday morning!) we piled into our trucks and headed out.  While on the way around the lake we heard word that the county had pulled all snow plows from the road.  Did that slow us down!  NEVER!  We drove onto the ice at the public access and blasted across over a mile of snow covered lake to get to our fishing spot.  As we got set up we received word that the one truck that had gone to town for bait had gotten stuck in a snow drift on the ice, so Spence and I hopped into his four wheel drive Suburban to pull it out.  By that time the wind had come up, driving the falling snow sideways.  We began by aiming for an ice house on the edge of visibility.  I knew it lay in the right direction.  From there we headed towards another…then another.  I could barely make out the shoreline to my left.  Those few landmarks kept us going the proper direction.  As we got to the middle of the lake we couldn’t see a thing: no ice houses, no other vehicles, no shore, no trees…nothing but white ice and white snow.  It felt a little surreal, as if we’d lost connection with the world.   We aimed for where we thought the shore should be until (finally) we could at least see a dark haze on the horizon.  We needed something to show us where we were in the world!   We followed the shoreline, found the truck in the drift, pulled it out, and headed back to the fishing holes.  Once again we left all landmarks behind and charged across the ice and snow.  A later examination of GPS tracking told us that we wandered aimlessly when we had no points of reference to guide us.

There have been times in my life of faith that have felt like I was driving in a blinding snowstorm!  I wander around aimlessly, wondering which direction to go and feeling pretty disconnected from what God is up to in the world.  In those moments I am reminded how important it is to have landmarks to keep showing me where I stand.  I need things to help me see what God is doing in my life.  So what are these landmarks for me?

·         Worship - Every week I have the opportunity to encounter God in special ways.  I hear God’s Word and share in God’s supper.  Jesus is present in special ways.  I look out over the congregation and am reminded, “God is here!”

·         Prayer -  A time of daily prayer is an essential landmark in my life of faith.  It’s a time for conversation, both talking and listening.  My prayers often include the questions, “God, what do you want me to do?  What direction is the right one?”

·         Scripture reading -   Once again this year I have embarked on the task of reading all the way through the Bible.  Spending time in God’s Word shows me the God who has worked in history…and still works in my life.

·         Community -  I have some pastor friends that I meet with every week.  While we talk about what we plan on preaching, we take time to process what’s going on in our lives.  Seeing God at work in others helps me see God at work in my own life.  Sometimes other people can see things more clearly than I can!

·         Lenten Discipline -  As the season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday I have decided to join the ancient tradition of taking something I enjoy and removing from my life for a season.  This year I’ll be giving up cookies, so no cookies from now until after Easter!  I’m not doing this as a way of ‘punishing’ myself for anything (though it will likely help the waistline!).  I do it to serve as a landmark for me: every time I want a cookie (which will be about 1.3 zillion times) I will be reminded to turn my thoughts to God, asking for God’s guidance.  Jesus gave everything…including his life…for me.  My giving up of cookies is trivial compared to that, but it can be used to build faith.

These landmarks help me to know where I am in life.  They keep me connected to the One who loves me and leads me in life.  Even when the wind blows and things get confusing (which they often do) I have some markers to help me stay on the right path.  Without them, I’m lost!