It is a good and right thing to ask the question, “What is God’s will for my life?” It’s a good thing, that is, until it’s not. That’s because a question like that can be paralyzing. We can devolve into running scenarios, looking for messages in the clouds, and second guessing every feeling we have in our stomachs. And before you know it, you have lost your focus in the most ironic of ways – in an attempt to follow Jesus, you have lost your focus on Jesus.
Faith is about moving forward. Sometimes fast, sometimes more slowly, but always moving forward in a progression toward becoming that which we have already become in Christ. It’s about moving forward, under the transformational guidance of the Holy Spirit, into a greater intimacy, a greater understanding of love, a greater obedience, a greater trust – all the while knowing that the whole reason we can move forward at all is because of what Jesus has already done for us at the cross. We are, in Paul’s words, to:
… make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:12-14).
We are always pressing on. Always moving forward. Always putting one step in front of the other. And as we do, what is of great importance in that progression is where we have our attention and focus. For there is a fixed point on the horizon, one that doesn’t waver or wane, that will provide the motivation, energy, stamina, and calibrating effect we need as we continue on.
