I am a total creature of habit in the mornings. I wake up, take a shower, wrap my hair in a towel, make a cup of coffee, put a breakfast-ish option in the oven, and sit down at the kitchen table for my quiet time while the towel works its magic on my hair and the oven works its magic on the bacon or biscuits or toast. I move through the routine of getting dressed with the same level of predictability. And when Alex and I leave the house for school—typically around 6:45—our first stop is always going to be our neighborhood coffee shop. If I’m going to power through the rest of the morning, then I’m going to need a grande flat white to help me do it.
A week or so ago we left the coffee shop and turned onto the road we normally take to school. We had just come over a hill we travel every day when suddenly we were engulfed by fog. The fog completely clouded the shopping center I would typically be able to see to our left, and if I hadn’t memorized our route from driving it so many times, I wouldn’t have been able to see our next turn. It was the strangest sensation to be in the middle of what was normally familiar territory, but due to unexpected circumstances, nothing looked like it usually did.
This is exactly where we find ourselves in life sometimes. We’re going through our routines, coasting on autopilot, and then something unforeseen happens. It’s not a literal fog, but it’s for sure a figurative one. And until it lifts, it can seem like it obscures everything you thought you knew to be sure and true. It can certainly leave you wondering which way to go.
So what do you do when the fog hits?
- Remember that you need to get your bearings. Part of growing up is realizing there will be times when you look around and realize your circumstances seem cloudy and confusing. It might be because of difficulty in a relationship or knowing that you have to make a big decision. In those moments, it’s okay—and also wise—to “pull over” for a minute. There is no point trying to move forward when you lack visibility in the here and now.
- Remember to look up. There have been so many times in my life when I couldn’t figure out where to go and what to do next. It’s so easy to think that we have to make those decisions on our own. But no matter what is going on, the Lord’s vision is not obscured. He sees the big picture when we feel like we can’t see an inch in front of our face. Pray. Listen. Trust Him.
- Remember that things will eventually be clear again. The fog isn’t forever. It will lift. The landscape may look different than you thought, but that’s okay. You’ll be able to see clearly, and hopefully the change in conditions—along with confidence in the Lord’s leading—will bring renewed gratitude and peace.
Remember, the fog is temporary. Clearer skies are ahead.
1. Can you think of a time when you were “coasting along,” so to speak, and then life changed in such a way that it felt like a fog had suddenly surrounded you?
2. What tends to be your immediate reaction when you don’t know what to do? Frustration? Sadness? Anger? Talk about that for a little bit.
3. Are you typically patient in the waiting? Or are you tempted to keep moving whether you know the right thing to do or not?
4. According to Romans 8:24, what is the hope we cannot see?
Today’s Prayer