I’ve had many conversations with family and friends over the years about figuring out the “right thing to do” and God’s will and how to do those thing well. In a conversation I was having with my son years ago this thought came to mind…
Instead of focusing on what to do and how to do it well, just make sure you are in the place you need to be with the people you need to be with. An example came to mind as my son considered this. If he wants to make better choices in life he could write down all those things and come up with makeshift strategies to accomplish them. But wouldn’t it be even wiser and simpler to make a list of the friends in his life that he respects and who challenge him to grow. Or instead of beating himself up for a mistake he made in one time and place he could simply put himself in other environments at other times that make healthier choices a lot easier.
Here I am trying to practice what I preach. Summer 2023 has just begun. I have no real “plan” this week. I’m sitting here at a train station in Madrid writing this post. I have a ticket to Sarria and I’m on the threshold of the Camino de Santiago, one of the world’s most well known pilgrimages that leads to the remains of the Apostle James in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. I’m with my wife of 28 years. We’ve been through lots of ups and downs. And some of our downs have certainly occurred trying to navigate travel logistics in foreign lands. We actually don’t even know how to find our train as we sit here in line waiting to speak to someone at an information desk. The adventures continue and the questions we can’t answer ourselves continue. Such is life.
As I look back on recent examples, many other situations come to mind…
In the summer of 2020 I stood in my garage, praying gibberish. There were so many options ahead of me and I didn’t know what to do. On a whim, I bought a plane ticket and went to see my dad and mom. I’ve had my son Sam with me and we sprinted to the airport. We landed, rented a car, and drove straight to have dinner with my mom and dad. After dinner I asked if I could drive home with my dad solo. I intentionally took the scenic route home so that he and I could talk. Before I even knew what questions I need to ask, he gave me some of the answers I needed. And he gave me the blessing that my heart needed to hear. I didn’t know what to do, but I was where I needed to be and who I needed to be with.
As I write this post today I’m sure I could sit down and make a list of how to be a better man, a better husband, a better father, and a better consultant. I’m not exactly sure what I need to do or how to do that really well this week. But I do know that I’m here in this train station headed to the Camino Santiago. I believe that’s where I need to be. I’m with my wife Shawna and I believe she is who I need to be with. May God fill in all the other gaps with what he shows me and teaches me on this pilgrimage.