Stopping to Ask Directions...

Still searching for direction; sometimes I still feel like I’m flopping around in life for my purpose in this empty nest stage. Silly, I know, considering my children have been out of the house for over a decade already. Yet there are days I weep for days gone by instead of reaching forward to the best that’s yet to come. If I were someone else, I can just imagine the honest heart-to-heart counsel I’d want to give…. There are times encouragement has to come slowly and tenderly. This is not one of those times. It’s been more than ten years since our last child flew the coop. There’s no more ‘slowly and tenderly’ approaching the subject.

So, what now God? If I’m left idle and to my own devices, that can only mean trouble. Depression lurks at my door. Apathy has seeped into the crevices I’d thought long sealed shut. This is not a good thing. But this is an opportunity for the community of love surrounding me to lend their godly counsel. Be blunt. Be assertive. I’m beyond being content to hear: You’ll be okay… Time heals all… Don’t worry; God’s got a plan – just be patient. Don’t be so hard on yourself….

Don’t get me wrong. The last ten years haven’t been a waste of breath, lives around me are constantly changing, there are always needs to be met. I don’t just want to ‘do something’ – I want to walk in God’s perfect plan for my life, fulfilling my destiny and glorifying Him at every turn.

Perhaps you’ve just indulged me in a momentary pity-party. Forgive me. All of the focus and purpose and listening I’ve been writing about lately has been for my own sake.

Easier said than done; I admit it. To quote Frazier, "I’m listening."

Proverbs 27:9 Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel. (KJV)