The Compass

I see a broken compass. The compass I hold in my hand is one that is spinning out of control. As I look down trying to find my way, it's hands point me in all different directions. It soon becomes apparent that I am walking in circles, getting no where. At last I admit to myself that I am lost. Desperate and dejected I sit down in the forest. As I sit wondering what my next plan of action will be, I hear footsteps in the forest. Jesus is coming; at last someone who can fix my broken compass! As I hand Him the compass to fix, He looks at me with mournful eyes. He gently takes the compass from my hand and places it in my back pocket, then embraces me for a hug. Bewildered and a little frustrated I lean into His arms. He then picks me up and carries me through the woods. I soon forget all about my broken compass and am caught up in the moment of enjoying the presence of my King. After being carried for a while, I find myself thinking "I know I must be heavy, I wish He would let me down." What a burden I must be, plus I'm not a baby, I can walk on my own." He knows my thoughts and says as you wish and puts me down. As we walk hand in hand through the forest, trees that we pass start to look familiar to me. I begin to question. "Haven't we already come this way? Are we walking in circles? "Does He really know where I want to go?" I think back to my own broken compass, thinking this would be a great time for it to start working again. I pull it out of my back pocket and see if it could direct me. Jesus sees me and asks "Why do you think something broken can direct your paths better than I?" I reply arrogantly "Well its all I have besides you and I don't think you know where I want to go. Maybe you didn't hear my request right. I think I might just have to go own my own." With sadness, He looks deep into my eyes and replies "Well the compass points to the south and I am going to the north. Which will you chose?" Although His way is the only way that leads to my destination He still gives me the choice to choose, because He loves me.

Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?- Galatians 3:3

How often are we guilty of this? In our arrogance we think we know the way we should go better than God himself does. How often do we question, "Why are you leading me this way? This doesn't look like what I wanted it to."  How often we forget God's goodness and faithfulness. His path is always the most fulfilling, satisfying, and life-giving. There is no other way other to a life abundant other than the way He directs. Jesus didn't want to repair my broken compass, there was no need for a compass; He just wanted me to trust Him and follow Him. He didn't want me to use Him to fix the compass, just in the same way He doesn't want us to use Him just to "fix" our lives. He wants to give us a new life, just like He wanted to take me on a new path. When Christ gives us new life, He doesn't want it to look like the cleaned up version of the old. He wants it to be completely different.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!-2 Corinthians 5:17

Also as the story illustrates, He doesn't want us to love Him for what He can do or what He what compass He gave fix, but instead He wants us to love Him for Him. That's what a relationship is, and that's what He requires from us. In the story after being carried for a while I wanted down, because I thought I could do it on my own. This is so true in our lives. After being on a spiritual high with God or after He brings us out of something horrible, we think; "Well that problem's solved"; then we go on with life forgetting about the One who solved the problem. We have the tendency to think we can do it on our own, and time and time again God allows us to chose and we end up finding out that we can't.

There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.-Proverbs 14:12	.

Just like how I thought my broken compass could direct me on the right path, it couldn't. It would never lead me to my destination because it was flawed. So are we, are not perfect and we do not know the whole story, so we can not depend on our compasses to direct us. However there is someone who is perfect, and He has no need for a compass. He is far above all human understanding, and His paths always lead to exactly where we were meant to be.


You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.-Psalm 16:11