Never Say Never

I'm drinking black coffee right now. I'm out of Half & Half and milk. To make matters worse, it's not even GOOD coffee - its generic Wal-Mart French Roast. I vividly recall the days of drinking nothing but Starbucks and only ever with Half & Half! Then slowly, as the budget demanded, I began to wean myself off of that by mixing it with Yuban and occasionally drinking it with milk when desperation called for it. Eventually as the budget got trimmer and trimmer... it came to this- Generic coffee (something I swore I would NEVER do) and BLACK to boot (well at least for today)! But you know what... it's not that bad. It's amazing the things you CAN do when life demands it.

What that has to do with what I'm about to say, I'm not quite sure, other than life (or should I say - God) sometimes takes us places we swore we would and could never go.

This morning I read the following scripture...

"And the Lord will continually 'guide' you,
And satisfy your desire in scorched places,
And give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water whose waters never fail."
Isaiah 58:11

When I read that I was instantly reminded of a story I heard...

About an American who was in India (or maybe Nepal) and he was supposed to travel to a remote village high up in the mountains. In order to get there he had to cross some extremely rough terrain and all by foot. There was no clearly defined road or path that led to this village so he had to follow a 'guide'. This guide was a native to the area - someone who clearly knew where he was going and the right path to take to get there . It was someone he could truly trust to lead the way.

So up the mountain they went ... and even though this American was faithfully following his guide, he could not help but question, fear, and doubt along the way; Constantly wondering if they were going the right way, fearing they would get lost or befall some calamity. The path they were taking seemed 'all wrong' to him. Winding to and fro up the mountain, he had lost all sense of direction. He had no peace and was torturing himself, wondering when and if they would ever get there at all.

Then the Lord spoke to his heart, reminding him that.... It didn't really matter if he knew where they were going or not, because the Guide did. It didn't matter if he had lost his sense of direction, because the Guide hadn't lost His. It didn't matter, that it all seemed wrong to him, because to the Guide everything was all right. He simply just had to blindly, by faith, follow his Guide and trust that He would get him to the desired destination.

How I wish that all the roads God leads me on would be clear cut and well defined. That they would be wide and flat (like the kind we have here in Texas) where you can see ahead as far as the eye can see. But then I am reminded that there would be no faith required to travel that kind of road. Instead the Lord seems to love to put me (all of us, really) on those windy, hard, steep, arduous trails- where I am constantly in danger of fearing, doubting, and growing weary - wondering where I am going or when I will arrive. It is on those roads during those times that the Lord reminds me ... I am only responsible for one thing - to follow the Guide, to trust in Him, and know that wherever He leads...it is exactly where I'm suppose to be.

My life is filled with these kinds of journeys. Some longer than others. I've fought many along the way and made myself miserable for it. Others I chose to surrender early on and to trust the Guide and as a result I experienced the priceless joy and peace that can only be found through submission.

Some of these journey's are in my heart, some are in life (literal destinations)... But all have taken me places that I SWORE I could never go. I could NEVER forgive that person. I could NEVER go through THAT trial. I could NEVER do that job. I could NEVER leave my family. I could NEVER sell that house. I could NEVER live in the city. I could NEVER drink generic, black coffee :-) . I could NEVER...whatever...you fill it in. We all have our "never's".

However, I am learning never to say never!

The paths He takes me on often seem to be the 'never' paths, the places I don't want to go. Like the scripture says, "And the Lord will continually 'guide' you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones..." Scorched places and needing strength for my bones don't sound like very pleasant circumstances to be in. However, this scripture is attached with such a great promise! "...And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters never fail."

We must be willing to travel roads or be in circumstances we swore we NEVER would in order to experience more peace and joy than we ever could have imagined, and to be used in ways we NEVER thought possible.