I have recently returned to one of my favourite forms of exercise; swimming laps at the local pool.
I love the fact that it is just you and the pool. You have your own lane and you focus on one lap and then another and then another. You don’t worry about what other people are doing in their lane, there’s no need for comparison as everyone is setting their own pace and focused on their own stroke and finding their rhythm.
While everyone has a common goal; swimming laps, everyone does it in their own way. Some use flippers, some are fast while others are slower. Everyone’s technique is slightly different, and the type of stroke favoured, differs as well.
I have some quiet times with God while I am swimming. And one morning while I was doing some laps, I felt God speak to my heart and say; Be Found in Your Own Lane.
As God’s disciples we each have a common goal; Expanding God’s kingdom, but how this looks and is carried out will differ. We of course will work with others on our life journey, but God has a unique blueprint for each of our lives and will work with us and our personalities and our strengths and weaknesses to achieve and reach our God-given destinies.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”
Proverbs chapter 3 verses 5-6
Seek Him First
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Matthew chapter six verse 33
It’s tempting to dive straight in without first seeking Him. But if we desire for our path to be straight, we need to seek the Lord first.
It’s also tempting to get distracted. For example, if you keep looking over at the other lanes while swimming, you quickly lose your momentum and run out of breath. You can also start to compare yourself to others which can often lead to either feelings of superiority or inferiority, neither is good.
But I hear God whisper, Be found in your own lane, I have a good plan for your life, trust me!
Psalm chapter 37 verse 23 says:
“The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.”
I find it beautiful that God delights in EVERY detail of our lives. The big ones, the seemingly insignificant ones, every single detail.
When and how do I start?
I sometimes feel as though I wait too long to make a step, or rather ‘stroke’. It would be nice to know the whole story and His entire plan first, but I don’t think this happens because he wants us to learn to trust him. Rather, we may just get a little, quiet nudging from the Holy Spirit and he may just want us to start with one stroke, which will then lead to another and another. We may begin a little shaky, a little slow, a little ‘wonky’ but I feel God will continue to direct us, if we continue to put him first and seek him and include him in our daily life.
And even if we do go off course or drift off into another lane, I believe God will gently move us back on course and we can find peace in Romans chapter eight verse 28 that says;
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
Jo Fuller lives on the beautiful Sunshine Coast with her husband and young family. Whenever she can find some quiet moments in amongst life with two little ones, she loves to read and write, swim and spend time with her family.
Jo Fuller lives on the beautiful Sunshine Coast with her husband, son and daughter. Jo is a teacher with an education in journalism and early childhood who loves to spend time with her family and enjoys reading and writing whenever she can.