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the maze (or why i'm not looking for a road map)

so, i had this great idea this morning that i would start a series of posts (getting fancy, right?) on what proverbs 31 says about women.

i even started some notes, starting with what seems to be the general consensus of what a "christian woman" is thought to be, going on to what society says women should be, and winding my way around to the proverbs chapter.

sounds great, right?
well, as is often the case in my life...plans changed.

i started this morning off right (for the first time in a long time, to be honest) by reading my bible. i flipped straight to proverbs 31, right to the section i was planning on writing about. that's where i saw a note i had written in the margins to check out a verse in chapter 18. if i had my bible right here next to me i would tell you what verse it was, but all i have right now is the digital version that doesn't have all my notes in it. oh well!

well, reading that verse led me to flipping forward a bit through the book and eventually "stumbling on" a verse in chapter 20:
"man's steps are ordained by the LORD. how then can man understand his way?" verse 24

 i have this thing (obviously) about wanting to be able to see the path that is laid out before me. i can't help but think that it would be so much easier to trust that God knows where He's leading me if i could just see the map.

hmm...
first off, that shows that i have an issue with trusting God.
not quite a trait i have that i was anxious to shine a light on...

to get off that (uncomfortable) train of thought, i'll move on to the other part of that thought: it would be so much better if i could just see the map!

this verse made me think this morning. it gives me the impression that even if i could see the map, i still wouldn't understand where i was headed.

in my life, i think that map would end up looking a bit like this:source for the maze

sure, you can see the final destination, but what about all those crazy twists, turns, and dead ends along the way?

i don't know about you, but i think that if i saw a map that looked like that i wouldn't be very quick to take the journey.

i have no idea where i am in that maze right now, no clue how many more twists and turns there are until i reach the final destination there at the center.                                              

how cool is it to know that God is the one who has made this maze for me? 

He knows that i have no idea where i'm going.
     He knows that i am in the middle of it with no clear view of the end.
He knows that i feel lost, despite the fact that He's guiding my steps.
     and guess what?    
     He doesn't expect me to understand the path ahead.

so, though it's great to know that i've just made the next turn, i know i'm still in the maze. i'm trusting in the fact that the map wouldn't make sense to me if i saw it, so i might as well just keep going where He's leading.

how about you?

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Thoughts? I would love to hear them!
~Mandy

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