Falling Apart . . . or Falling into Place?

We all know how life makes surprising twists and turns, taking us to places we never imagined via routes we couldn’t have expected. It’s almost like asking the question, “How do I get to…?” and getting the reply, “You can’t get there from here – you have to go somewhere else first.”

The path for my career as a writer and editor, for instance, has hardly followed a straight course. Including my college studies, it took me from New Jersey to Houston, Texas; to Columbus, Ohio; to suburban Philadelphia; back to Columbus; then back to Houston; and finally, to Chattanooga, Tenn. It turned into a “scenic route” no one at AAA or a GPS would have plotted for me.

I was reminded of this while listening to a song by Casting Crowns called, “Just Be Held.” The lyrics include the refrain, “Your world’s not falling apart, it’s falling into place.” Whenever we’re in the midst of major, unanticipated and unwanted changes, or confronted by times of great hardship or adversity, we can easily buy into the idea that our world is falling apart. But “falling into place”? Not so much.

And yet, with the wonderful, 20:20 clarity of hindsight, it’s heartening when we discover that what seemed falling apart at the time was indeed part of God’s grand scheme for making things fall into place. At times, we overuse Romans 8:28, casually applying it like ointment for the wounds life inflicts. But we can’t overstate its truth: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

It’s like the Lord’s way of saying, “You may think things are falling apart – but I’m using circumstances so that your world will eventually fall into place.”

When we’re young, it might be a romance that ends abruptly, leaving us feeling shattered. Hopes may be dashed when a young person’s college of choice fails to extend an invitation to enroll. It could be a much-hoped-for job offer that never comes, or being out of work due to corporate downsizing or other factors beyond one’s control. A devastating medical diagnosis that can turn formerly serene lives into seemingly endless chaos. Or after managing to juggle finances from month to month, suddenly finding the pay ends long before the month does.

Many other events can flip lives upside-down. Everything seems to be falling apart, placing us on the brink of despair. At such times, it helps to remember that what appears to be falling apart from our limited perspective could be neatly falling into place – from God’s point of view.

When our lives feel like the light at tunnel’s end has burned out, in the words of Casting Crowns’ “Just Be Held,” we need to remember: “So when you’re on your knees and answers seem so far away, you’re not alone; stop holding on and just be held.”

One of my favorite words in the Bible is “behold.” It’s what the angels used when they announced the birth of the Christ child to the shepherds. It’s a biblical way of saying, “Hey, listen up!” So, when life takes a sudden turn, leaving you disoriented and dismayed, remember:

     Behold! Let yourself be held by the One you’re beholding.

In GPS We Trust?

Being among the legion of people fitting the description of “directionally challenged” – we pretty much couldn’t find our way out of a large paper bag – I regard the Global Positioning System (GPS) as one of mankind’s greatest inventions.

How it works, I don’t know. When I’m using my GPS, does President Obama get regular updates on where I am? Is the NSA diligently monitoring my progress? Can the satellite tracking my vehicle tell if I’m eating French fries, or if I’m trying to find the local ESPN affiliate on the radio?

But who cares? It’s just a marvel to me that whether it’s the GPS built into your vehicle, a portable device, or even the navigation app on your smart phone, you tell it where you want to go and it provides a map (plus voice – I think her name is “Gertrude”) to guide you along your way.

Never fails. Right?

A GPS can guide you to wherever you
want to go. Which GPS do you use?

On a recent business trip I used the Google Maps app on my phone rather than reacquainting myself with our Garmin, and for the most part it worked great. Except for once. I was driving along the route “Gertie” had instructed when suddenly she announced, “Make a U-turn in 1,000 feet.” No warning. She hadn’t indicated a turn earlier that I had missed. She just wanted me to make a U-turn – and right now. Impulsive, if you ask me.

I thought, “This doesn’t make sense. I’m on the state highway I’m supposed to be on.” I knew because of MapQuest, printed directions I always bring as a stop-gap, in case the GPS gets confused. As had just happened, apparently.

But to be sure – I hate driving miles and miles out of my way, only to waste time backtracking – I did turn at the next light, swung around and headed back toward the intersection. Then Gertie advised me to turn left – back onto the highway, in the same direction I’d been traveling.

Good ole “Trust Me I Never Make a Mistake Gertie” had…made a mistake! Who knew? The next day I drove the same route, and Gertie made the same error. She’s sometimes wrong, it seems, but never in doubt.

This got me thinking about the other GPS I’ve used countless times, the one that truly never fails – God’s Positioning System. (I’ve written about this before, but it’s worth mentioning again.) Early in my journey as a follower of Jesus, I learned this passage: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

My personal life – and often my professional life – have confirmed the truth of these verses. Reviewing the course of my journalistic career is one example. At the outset of my career, as a wet-behind-the-ears editor of a community newspaper in suburban Columbus, Ohio, if someone had explained where my vocational path would lead, I’d have responded emphatically, “I can’t get there from here!” And I would have been right. Because to get to where I am now, I’ve had to go to many other places first.

From New Jersey (where I grew up) to Houston, Texas (where I began college) to Ohio (where I finished college and started my first newspaper job) to suburban Philadelphia, back to Ohio, then to suburban Houston, and finally here to Chattanooga, Tenn. Even after arriving in Chattanooga, God has taken my family and me in directions we couldn’t have anticipated.

But unlike with Gertie and my Google Maps app, God’s directions have never failed. That’s not to say there haven’t been times – many times – when I wondered, “Lord, do You know what You’re doing?” In retrospect I’ve learned His answer has always been, “Yes, I do. Why do you ask?”

Proverbs 3:5-6 has a few caveats, however. We have to trust in the Lord – and not in ourselves. If we try to lean on our own understanding instead, we’ll find ourselves more confused than Gertie the Google Maps lady.

And hardest of all is acknowledging God in all our ways. We like to hold the Lord in reserve, kind of like a spare tire. “If I need you, I’ll let You know.” Many times we’re willing to acknowledge anything but God. But if – and when – we do submit to Him, recognizing He’s got a much better idea of what we need and where we need to go, He will indeed make our paths straight.

Even if those “straight paths” result in crisscrossing the map.

Global Positioning System? Accurate much of the time. God’s Positioning System? Accurate all of the time. I highly recommend it!