Open Waters

This is my contribution to the Christian Writers Blog Chain (please check the sidebar) for MARCH (insert day job between blog and deadline...sorry readers). The theme is "open", and my blog is all about opening up to God and our own callings.

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We're all on this journey we call life. Some of us have plans, some don't. If I've learned one thing in the past year that's worth sharing it's this:

A plan is vital for success.

Without a plan, there will be no getting there - in fact, there'll be no destination! I'll exist in survival mode, and end up with a lot of unfulfilled dreams I never "had the chance" to carry through on.

Here's some food for thought.
God makes a lot of promises to the people who will consciously decide to follow him. In some cases, He even tells us to put Him to the test. He promises to not abandon us, to heal us if we return to Him and to bless us by giving us back more than we give Him. He sent Jesus to die for our sins, which allows us to spend eternity with Him. In Revelation, God leaves us with a list of promises for those who persevere and win. Embracing those promises feels a bit like setting sail out into the open sea.

Open waters don't have visible boundaries, but sailors follow the shipping lanes that have been mapped out so that they don't take a chance on a collision. The second thing I've learned worth sharing is that we have to think carefully and CHOOSE our boundaries, otherwise we'll be all over the place.

Protective boundaries include bedtime, personal hygiene habits and a healthy diet ("diet" means "food intake plan" not "starve to death on things that taste terrible"). I've realized, though, that most of my boundaries are provided by other types of choices: my profession, my friends, my philosophy of life, and so on. I think of these boundaries as "rudders" that keep me focused and "lanes" that help me avoid overflowing into areas where I don't need to waste time.

We need to reset "unhealthy boundaries", which manifest as mental blocks and bad habits. They can also be the results of conscious or unconscious choices.

Unhealthy boundaries often start out as defense mechanisms, but they evolve into a framework for mental and emotional prisons. Captives of these mindsets seem to be snagged on something that is just under the water's surface, leaving them unable to more forward. They drift with the current around that spot and the movement of life around them gives them impression that they are also moving on. Jesus came to free the captives and release the prisoners from darkness, so we don't have to live that way.

Planning and boundaries amount to structure and decision, but getting from point A to point B requires one more thing: a reference point to steer by.

As sailors used to navigate by the stars, we also need something to guide us that will help our decisions be on target. Out in the open water, there are no road signs or landmarks - just the sky and the weather - and we have Word and His teachings to keep us on course, and above all that we have the opportunity to have a relationship instead of just following directions.

Jesus came so that we could have abundant life, and that includes fulfilled dreams. I'm charting my course right now. I'd love to have you aboard.