Which of the following are similar to the ways you've served Christ in your family? [check all that apply]
• Taught your kids to see God's glory in nature
• Washed the dishes without being asked
• Played a board game with your kids
• Encouraged your wife to finish her master's degree
• Attended a child's open house at school
• Worked fewer hours to be with your family
• Set an example of a godly prayer life for your children
• Held a crying child
• Swung on the tire swing with your daughter
• Told your wife why you're still in love with her
• Told your son he's got what it takes
• Coached soccer
• Let you child correct you now and then
• Fixed the vacuum cleaner
• Taught your sons to ride a bike
• Listened patiently to a complaint of your wife
• Taped your child's artwork to your office wall
• Admitted to your kids that you were wrong
• Told your children how Christ entered your life
• Cleaned up vomit
• Taught your children to love books
• Been romantic without expecting sex
• Told your daughter she's smart/beautiful
• Set standards for your kids and stuck to them
• Dealt graciously with a busybody neighbor
• Peeled carrots
• Watched movies together
Getting Your Bearings Theme of the Week: Finding God's Will Monday, August 12, 2002
1 of 1
July/August 200254Getting Your BearingsTheme of the Week: Finding God's Will Getting Your Bearings Theme of the Week: Finding God's Will Monday, August 12
Key Bible Verse: They fill their hearts with God's law, so they will never slip from his path (Psalm 37:31). Bonus Reading:Psalm 37:23-40
In the Rocky Mountains, I took a course in on navigating from maps. One of our first lessons concerned using familiar landmarks you're sure of, to get a clearer sense of where you are when you aren't quite sure. You triangulate, lining up your compass with those points and marking the angles on your map. Where they intersect is where you are.
We reach places in our lives where the terrain becomes unfamiliar. We find ourselves unsure of things we were once sure of, not knowing where to go. Then it's time to take our bearings. There are things we know—that God loves us unconditionally, that He wants only the best for us, that He works to help us find it. Remember-ing these things in times of uncertainty may not solve all our problems—we might have some hiking to do to get ourselves back on track—but they can give us clearer perspective on where we are.
And it helps if you're familiar with the map, if you've practiced regularly with the compass. A firm grounding in the Word gives the perspective that we need to find our landmarks and fix our sights on God. If we know where He is, we can find out where we are.
—David Shepherd in Edmonton
My Response: A "landmark" of God's character that helps me keep my bearings is …
Thought to Apply: All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen. —Ralph Waldo Emerson (pastor and writer, 19th century)
If you decide you want to keep Men of Integrity coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive five more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The trial issue is yours to keep, regardless.
1 of 1
