Dark Stairwells in France

This morning I watched the 40 Days in the Word Day 24 Devotional with Tommy Hilliker from Saddleback Church.  I immediately resonated with the story he opened with about getting stuck in the basement of a building with the lights out - in total darkness.

If you know me well you know that I'm mildly claustrophobic.  OK, maybe a little more than mildly; if it less than 9 floors I'll take the stairs.  I had a similar situation as Tommy this past Summer when our family was visiting friends in Paris, France.  Our friends lived on the top floor (16th) of a high rise apartment.  We were leaving to do some sightseeing and the elevator was too small for all of us to ride down, so naturally I volunteered to take the stairs.

My friend Joel told me to be careful because the light in the stairwell was out two floors down.  It turns out that the lights were out for six floors.  It was a tight spiral stairwell with NO windows and NO light - pitch black.  Thankfully I had my phone with me and was able to use the flash from the camera to see my way down.

I think Tommy's and my stories are great analogies for what it's like when we are seeking spiritual direction in our lives.  Many times in my life I've been in a place where I knew God was leading me in a new direction in some way but I had no idea what that meant or what it would look like.  The two years between when I was serving as an associate pastor and when I became a lead pastor was one of those times - like an old Polarid picture slowly developing.

I find myself in that place again - knowing that God is on the verge of doing something new, or bigger, or more challenging in or through me but not knowing the details.  It's like walking down a small spiral staircase with just the light of a phone for guidance.

I have a list of things that I do during during these times.  Here's one that been especially helpful.  I listen to people who have been there and allow their wisdom to fuel me as I wait on God to give more details.  In the day of blogs, Twitter and Facebook this is especially easy to do.

Here's a few words of wisdom that I've held onto over the last few weeks.  If you find yourself in the dark with little, or no light I hope these words help you to.

"Barriers are blessings. God said 'no' to Paul for Asia so He could say 'yes' to Macedonia and Europe and the west. God turns everything to Good." - Jimmie Davidson

"God has given you what you need to fulfill what is in your heart. Follow Him, go after what ignites your passion, and change the world!" - Tim Schraeder

"What would you pursue today if you weren't afraid to fail?  If you were given permission to make it happen?  Might be time to go do that." - Brad Lomenick

"If your dream doesn't scare you to death you haven't really come to life."  Mark Batterson