The Long 14-Inch Journey

It's about 14 inches from your brain to your heart. The journey to make learned information settle into our hearts and become part of what we believe can sometimes take a very long time. For over thirty years my knowledge of God was just a surface level understanding. I had no concept that I could have a relationship with Him. My circumstances forced me either to trust God and believe what His word says, or to stop believing there was a God.

This book took me over five years to write. There were several iterations and many people who provided input along the way. There were countless times I stopped writing and I often had thoughts of quitting all together. During those times I would stop and think about other people's "assignments from God" and came to realize my assignment was nothing compared to theirs.

I thought about Noah, who spent 100 years building the ark waiting for God to send the flood. Then there was Abraham, who had to wait 25 years before the promise of his son Isaac came to pass. Moses had to trust in God that Pharaoh wouldn't just kill him on the spot, let alone let the Israelites go. Then, he had to trust God for 40 years as they wandered through the wilderness. I thought about the Joshua, who was with Moses for those 40 years, who trusted in God to deliver him and the Israelites into the promised land. He trusted in God to destroy the city of Jericho just by walking around the city and blowing some ram horns.

All throughout the Bible we read amazing stories and the people who were involved. All were obedient when they were given assignments from God. Their significant assignments came after they were obedient with the smaller jobs from the Lord. They had already established a close relationship with God and learned to hear His voice providing them with directions. Their head knowledge of God had become heart knowledge.

One thing I have learned is that everything on this earth is temporary. Worrying about jobs, health, people, or things is not what God wants us to do. As a born-again Christian, our main goal in life is to get to know God more than we know Him today. As we seek Him every day, we will learn more about Him and ourselves. He will direct our steps and give us peace during times of discomfort. Life may not get any better, but you can have a new outlook because God is Lord and in control.