The How Is None Of Your Business

I was on my Saturday walk jamming an interesting mix of inspirational/motivational speeches with music. (Check out Akira The Don, if you are interested.) I was really in the zone and walking better than any of the old folks at the mall on a weekday morning when a song I had not heard came on. The tag line was, “the how is none of your business.” That line blew my brain up.

I am someone who desperately wants to please God, like an aggravating puppy who keeps doing all the things they think you want instead of the one thing you actually want. Also like my dogs, I don’t seem to learn the difference. I try and please God the way I think he wants to be pleased and fail, then get upset because I’m failing God. It has been quite the self inflicted cycle.

I contemplated this line from some speaker I didn’t know and didn’t take the time to remember and came to the Proverbs 16:9, “A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.” In all honesty, that proverb always sounded great to me, but didn’t carry any weight. This speaker connected those dots for me. I work with God to build the vision for my life and then I make the commitment to go after it. How I get there isn’t up to me. I can’t control the results. I can’t control who reads this blog, or listens to our podcast. I can’t make people buy our coffee. All I can do is commit and work hard. Those are literally the only two things within my control to do. After that, God is in the drivers seat.

I also think about God leading the Israelites around the mountain for 40 years. Why did He lead them in a circle for 40 years? Because there was a generation of folks who betrayed God and were not permitted into the promised land. There was a poison in the people that had to be cut out before they could cross over.

That is what our journey is like. God knows where we want to be. He knows where our promised land is. He also knows that if he gave it to us now, we’d screw it up. Adam and Eve had the Garden of Eden and they screwed that up! There is something inside of us that has to be worked out, that has to be killed off, before we can cross over into the promised land. Most of it is bad, but some of it may be seen as good. Moses himself didn’t get to cross over. If we stay committed and follow God where he leads us, where he guides our steps, we will find that the first half of the journey is about cleaning our own house. Once that is in order, we will be prepared to take over and keep the promised land.

I know it doesn’t always seem like what we are trying to do makes any sense and a lot of people tells us it doesn’t make sense. I want to encourage you (and us) to keep following God. He is guiding all of our steps. It may seem like we are walking in circles and making no progress, but keep committed. He has not forsaken us. He will never leave us. He is also telling us to get our nose out of His business and let Him drive this boat, ya back seat driver.