Set Your Direction

On a whiteboard the seminary professor had drawn a diagram: a bullseye, with dots scattered everywhere across it. The dots symbolized individual people.

He asked the class, “If the center of the bullseye is intimacy with God, what could we say about where all these individuals are in their journey?”

Naturally, the class answered: The ones closer to the center were in a better place.

The professor picked up the dry-erase marker again. He began drawing directional arrows for each dot – further away from the bullseye, sideways, or closer toward the bullseye.

He then asked, “How about now?”

How would you describe your family's culture?

Where is your relationship with each of your children?

With God?

With your spouse?

These can be discouraging questions when a mental snapshot only shows us their current situation. But that snapshot leaves out the most critical aspect: movement in a direction.

And the most hopeful aspect of 'direction' is it can be changed very quickly – no matter where it currently stands.

If the snapshot of your family’s journey into God’s Kingdom is not to your liking, here is what you can do:

• Spend time imagining where you want those relationships to be.

• With pen and paper in hand – ask yourself, and of God: What do I do to get where I want to be?

• Jot down a goal for that week which could facilitate the direction you want to be heading.

• Begin to pray daily for God’s Spirit to bring you there.