What does the road ahead look like? That is a popular question on the minds of many people right now. Part of the problem with the road ahead is that it travels through unknown territory. Unknown territory is a scary place. What makes it frightening is our lack of understanding and thus lack of control. We very much dislike not being in control. We think our control is the answer for the road ahead. This kind of thinking is common but also deadly. History is replete with the ruin of so many, once powerful people and nations who believed deeply in the preeminence of their wisdom and efforts. There is another way. In Jeremiah 29:11 we famously read God saying, “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” God says this to help us with the road ahead. He invites us to focus on Him. There is something beyond your scary place that is essential to fulfilling your purpose. Aristotle has a thought that may help us understand what that something is. Aristotle wrote that the architect does not get involved in laying bricks, that is the bricklayer’s job. The architect knows how to guide and direct the bricklayer in building something truly amazing. The bricklayer has all the necessary skills to operate in conjunction with the guidance of the architect not independent from the architect. There is something beyond your scary place that is essential to fulfilling your purpose – your ability to trust the Architect. Such trust is built in seasons like the current one. When we trust God, the road ahead looks like it is under the control of God. This is how we raise the bar on our discipleship.
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