I wander in my home. I had all the laundry caught up a few days ago. And I get to do it all over again today. I fixed supper last night. And I get to do it all over again today.
I wander as a mother. Didnโt I just address this attitude issue? How many times am I going to eye my children with that universal look that says, โYouโd better say thank you or youโll never taste another piece of candy?โ How many diapers will I change before I suffer from permanent olfactory nerve damage?
I wander in my writing. Iโve written a book. Did you know that? I have. A whole novel. I didnโt know it at the time, but writing that novel sent me wandering into the dark forests of publication. Itโs fun. Except for when itโs not. Like when you realize that all the writing youโve done for the past six months will never see the light of day.
I donโt like to wander.
I have plans and dreams and it frustrates aggravates drives me insane when things donโt happen the way I think they should. Wandering feels like such a wasteโof time, energy, and resources.
It feels like Iโve dropped the ball. It feels like Iโm lost.
But โnot all those who wander are lost.โ
Take Joseph. In Genesis, heโs dreamed some big dreams. And heโs got plans. So when his father sends him in search of his brothers, he sets off with purpose. He knows where heโs going. Heโs going to Shechem.
But his brothers arenโt there and Joseph wanders around in a field for a while before someone tells him they are in Dothan. (I am not making this upโyou can read it for yourself in Genesis).
Itโs a tiny detail. The kind of thing an editor might cut from the story. But God left it in.
He left in the part about the wandering.
You know the rest of the story, donโt you? When Joseph found his brothers, they decided to kill himโand they would have if his big brother hadnโt convinced them to throw him in a pit instead. And then, some Midianite traders show up and Joseph is sold as a slave in Egypt which turns out to be a crucial point in Godโs redemptive plan for His children.
What are the odds of those Midianite traders showing up at that exact moment? And what if Joseph hadnโt wandered around for a while before heading out to Dothan?
That wandering? It saved Josephโs life. And it saved the children of Israel.
Joseph may have been wandering, but he most certainly was never lost.
Sometimes God gives us big dreamsโฆbig plansโฆbig hopes for the future. And then He lets us wander around for a while.
Not because Heโs mean. But because Heโs maneuvering all the pieces into position so He can do something even bigger than what we could imagine.
If youโre wandering, donโt despair, donโt panic, and most definitely do not give up. Who knows? Someday when the story of your life is written, this little “wandering” detail may be the one no editor would dare to cut.
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I am indebted to the Bible study we are currently doing at Southside Fellowship, Read the Bible for Life, where the beauty of this part of the story was highlighted.
And in case you are unfamiliar with it, the quote is from The Fellowship of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien…
Wow, I never gave a second thought to that bit about Joseph wandering around before going to Dothan. Hopeful that my current wanderings will come to be a very important time in my life.
Thank you. This was the nudge I needed to both identify the feeling that had been squelching my joy, and drew me into a blessed time of conversing with the Father. Blessings. Tina Hunt
Great post, Lynn! I'm a wanderer, too…but it's usually because my mind just jumps from thing to thing I need to do. I must do a better job of staying focused on what He has for me to do.
Thanks for the reminder that wandering isn't necessarily bad, but I need to be sure I'm wandering in the direction God has for me. ๐
Mom – I hadn't either! I'm sure God doesn't let us wander without having an important reason!
Tina – Your words are humbling. My goal is always to point people to their Father. Thanks for sharing with us!
Vonda – You are so right. And maybe a mind reader? Next week's post will touch on the difference between good wandering and, er, not so good wandering :-).