Finding Your Way in the Fog of Life

The phone rang at 4:30 a.m. Our college senior needed an emergency appendectomy… and his mother. In no time, fueled by caffeine and adrenaline, I was on my way. As I pulled out of the garage, I pulled into a thick impenetrable fog. This was not part of Plan A.

Not to worry, implement Plan B: stay on the main roads, no short cuts through the country. Though this route would take longer, it would be safer in the dark, in the fog.

About half way to my destination, I realized that while I knew the way to the town, and to his apartment, I did not know the way to the hospital where he was most likely already in surgery. I had no Plan C.

Not to worry, I knew there would be signs telling me the way. And, sure enough, when I got to the exit, I saw the familiar blue H. I was good to go.

However, after I exited the interstate, the fog grew thicker, and I was on a road that I had never been on before. I had no idea how long before I either had to turn again or arrive at the hospital. I was in the country. It was dark. It was two-lane. Thankfully I was behind a very large truck.

At the first intersection, there was my trusty blue H again, and I continued on, right behind the truck. Then the truck turned. And, after that, I went through intersection after intersection with nothing but me, the white line on the road, and the fog. No sign. No idea what to do.

I thought about turning around. I thought about turning at the next intersection. Right? Left? I continued straight; it seemed the best idea at the moment. And I prayed. I prayed for my son. I prayed for me. I prayed for direction.

After what seemed forever, at the intersection where I had decided to turn around because surely, I’d missed the blue H somewhere; there it was. No flashing arrows. No neon lights. No trumpets. Just a simple blue H on a pole. But it was the most glorious thing to me—it pointed the way.

Trusting God in the Fog of Life

Lately, I feel like I’ve been lost in a different type of fog – the fog of life. That’s why my blog has been silent for so long. I haven’t written because I was lost in the fog of life trying to find my way. I wasn’t sure what to say—how to give biblical advice or guidance—because, quite honestly, I wasn’t even sure of where I was going. I had no plan.

Not to worry, right. I worried. I had forgotten that God knows what he’s doing. God knows the way. He knows where I am, and where he is taking me. He knows how long it will take, and he has all of eternity to get me there.

Since my last blog, I’ve been busy—I’ve racked up a lot of fodder for future blogs, and I promise I’ll get to them; but all in all—I’ve been driving down the main road, gripping the wheel, afraid to turn, and afraid to go too far forward, because the fog seemed too thick and too real. I wanted to turn around and go back to the familiar.

Moving Forward in the Fog

What can we do when we’re lost in the fog of life, and we don’t know where we’re going? When the road doesn’t change? When we’re all alone? And God seems silent with no signs, no direction?

We do what I did on that foggy road, in the pre-dawn hours, all alone, wrapped up in a blanket of insecurity and fear, dealing with all the emotions that rear their head in the darkness—we pray, and we stay the course until God tells us to do something different.

We also have to remember who God is: God is trustworthy, He promises that He will go before us and He will never leave or forsake us, so when we feel like we are all alone, we must believe that we are not. God is with us. Always. When we cannot see Him, we must trust His Word. We must rest in his promise.

We must also remember that God is always guiding us, therefore, we must continue on the path he has placed us. When the time is right, whether we turn to the left or to the right, there will be a voice saying, “this is the way, walk in it.” It will be a familiar voice, the voice of the Shepherd. He will not contradict the voice of Scripture, and He will lead us in the way of truth.

In this current fog, as I prayed, and as I continued on seeking a sign to point the way, the Lord did give me a sign. And, it was exactly what I was looking for: His comforting presence. God spoke to me through the voices of a couple of friends. There were no flashing arrows, no neon signs, no trumpets, just familiar voices telling me to keep moving forward upon the path he has placed me. And so, I will.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6.

Are you in the fog? What sign are you looking for? What sign is God giving you?_______________________