Trust Your Compass

An old sailor repeatedly got lost at sea, so his friends gave him a compass and urged him to use it.  The next time he went out in his boat, he followed their advice and took the compass with him.  But as usual he became hopelessly confused and was unable to find land.  Finally he was rescued by his friends.

Disgusted and impatient with him, they asked, “Why didn’t you use that compass we gave you?  You could have saved us a lot of trouble!”  The sailor responded, “I didn’t dare to! I wanted to go north, but as hard as I tried to make the needle aim in that direction, it just kept on pointing southeast.”

That old sailor was so certain he knew which way was north that he stubbornly tried to force his own personal persuasion on his compass.  Unable to do so, he tossed it aside as worthless and failed to benefit from the guidance it offered.  (Author unknown)

The compass is our Lord; trying to go it alone or ignoring our True North is our insanity!  Jesus tells us, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, theirs is the kingdom of God.”  What is "poor in spirit"?  This day do you seek a peace that sustains you through life's struggles that scar the heart?  Might there be a loneliness that wearies you?  Perhaps a particular challenge stands before you—at work—with your family—with yourself?  Maybe there is a longing that evades fulfillment?  Is your heart aching for another's pain?  Do you feel worn down by a sense of "no control" in a matter that deeply matters to you?

We realize our spirit alone is woefully inadequate to move through the minutes of our day.  In recognizing our poverty of spirit, we then can call upon His spirit to lean on, to boost our confidence, to guide us up the hills and through the valleys. When our spirit unites with the Holy Spirit, surprise, comfort, and wisdom show up in our day.  For it is only through surrender that we grasp the joy of serenity.

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Kathleen M. Sullivan, PhD, is CEO of Spiritual Outreach through Leadership, LLC, a speaker, and author of I Had Lunch with God: Gospel Inspirations for Tough Times—Be sure to enter “CBJ” in the “comment” section at checkout and receive $2 off your order!

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