Update Your Map
May 17, 2004
I’m absolutely convinced the process of growth
rests on our dedication to truth. Take for example, a map. If I
wanted to drive from Portland to Denver I know I’d have to drive
in an easterly direction. But getting to Denver in a reasonable
period of time would require more than just following the rising
sun. I’d need a map. If the map I used was forty years old, it
probably wouldn’t do me much good. At the time it was drawn that
map represented reality. But reality changes as new roads are
built. And maps need to be updated so they represent those
changes. I’d need a current map that accurately portrays current
roads, distances and cities.
Of course, examining an Atlas, which represent the
world outside of us, is never as painful as examining our own
internal map. Yet, if we’re going to progress in our
relationship with God and other people, we must be totally
dedicated to the truth. And our dedication should drive us to
make an accurate map of ourselves. One that accurately reflects
our fears, disappointments, addictions, sins, resentments,
weaknesses and other things we would rather keep hidden. Things
we would rather not face the truth about.
The temptation at this stage is to lie to
ourselves. To whitewash reality so we don’t look “all that bad.”
So we don’t have to experience the pain of seeing our flaws. So
we don’t have to suffer the pain of letting go of some attitudes
and actions that we’ve been holding on to.
But you can’t do that. You need a map of yourself
that reflects reality so you can move on with the growth
process. Taking this step requires courage. It demands
fearlessness. And it necessitates an infusion of the grace of
God.
Every time I go through this process myself, or
encourage other men to do so, I’m reminded of the woman Jesus
spoke with at the well. Understandably, she tried to cover-up
some of the facts of her life. She didn’t want this young Rabbi
to know she had been married five times and was living with a
man to whom she wasn’t married. Those aren’t the kinds of things
she liked to think about, or talk about.
Yet, Jesus surfaced this reality. He made it clear
He knew all about her. He let her know he had read the entire
map of her life. And then He loved and accepted her in the face
of this reality. His expression of acceptance transformed her
life (John 4:1-42).
As you take this step meditate on the words of
Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me,
and know my anxieties: And see if there is any wicked way in me.
And lead me in the way everlasting.” Because you’ve turned your
life over to God you have the assurance that He will give you
the insight you need to unearth those things which are hidden in
the recesses of your memory. But more than that, God will accept
you.
(Adapted from Shoulder to Shoulder by Rod Cooper
Ph.D.)
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