“Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32
When I do pre-marital counseling with couples, my goal is to prepare them for a lifetime, not just one of the greatest days of their lives. There is a destination that God wants them to reach and I want to give them the skill to know what God’s Word says about getting there. Tragically many come into this holy covenant without a lick of equipping and wonder why their marriage did not last. The reason for most, in my opinion, is that they did not chart the course at the beginning with True North.
True North is an expression that refers to what is true. It stands for what you can count on to keep you going in the right direction, especially when you veer off course. True North is also what map makers use to make maps based on the geographical location of the North Pole. Its a fixed position and it stays there. This is different than the Magnetic True North that is roughly 1,300 miles away. This is the field that our compasses use. When a pilot or captain of a ship chart the course for the flight or voyage, they need to calculate the route using the proper adjustments to ensure they do not miss their destination by hundreds of miles.
We are living in very uncertain times today. Things shift day to day and for most, we just do not know what to expect as we look into the near and distant future. With governors calling the shots with phases, mandates and lockdowns, this can cause anxiousness, fear and for many, anger. The news keeps things spinning, spreading the fear and uncertainty not with incredible journalism, but with Hollywood screenplays written to keep America in suspense and eliminating the notion that this could only happen in the movies. I am seeing things that just make me say, “People are losing their minds!” I know this is not positive confession, faith or compassion for my fellow Americans, but it is reality. How did we get to these uncertain and politically charged (in the midst of a pandemic) culture? We have failed in our calculations from generation to generation. In other words, we have not handed down the art of map reading.
If you put a folded map in the hands of many today, could they read it? I know what they couldn’t do with it. They could not fold it back up and put it in the glove box. God’s Word, (True North) for a believer is a map to be passed down from one generation to the next. The skill of reading the map and the ability to look at culture, chart a course and allow God’s truth to navigate is God’s idea. Satan has been spreading his lies, hate and deception from the beginning. He is the lord of the detours. His favorite phrase, “Did God really say?” has been knocking God’s people off their destiny for generations. This is why we need to know who True North is and how to read the map of God’s Word to get to where He is leading.
Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all you who are weary (exhausted, tired, fed up and not reading the map anymore.) and burdened (worry, fear, anger), and I will give you rest. (This is always a good feeling when you get lost.) 29 Take (open the map,) my yoke upon you and learn from me (“You are here!” Now follow this route to get there.), for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (You will reach your destination.). 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (emphasis mine)
This is how we recalibrate. We come to Jesus every day. We study His Word, we obey, and we walk it out in our lives. Daily sometimes hourly, we can exchange the pressure, the effects of the storms, the uncertainty of the future, for the peace and rest from Jesus and His truth.
Do not miss your destination with God. Live out your purpose. Enjoy a healthy marriage and raise up a family who knows truth and how to walk in it. In these uncertain times, live in peace knowing that none of this uncharted territory is a surprise to God. He is not recalculating. The course is set. He only wants to get you back on track and onward in your journey. Trust Him being your True North!
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