No More Clarity

A few weeks ago I was reading through Philip Yancey’s book “Reaching for the Invisible God” and was struck by the following excerpt:

“When the brilliant ethicist John Kavanaugh went to work for three months at “the house of the dying” in Calcutta, he was seeking a clear answer as to how best to spend the rest of his life.  On the first morning there he met Mother Teresa.  She asked, “And what can I do for you?”  Kavanaugh asked her to pray for him. 

      “What do you want me to pray for?” she asked.  He voiced the request that he had borne thousands of miles from the United States:  Pray that I have clarity.”

      She said firmly, “No, I will not do that.” When he asked her why, she said, “Clarity is the last thing you are clinging to and must let go of.”  When Kavanaugh commented that she always seemed to have the clarity he longed for, she laughed and said, “I have never had clarity; what I have always had is trust.  So, I will pray that you trust God.”

We can all identify with the need for “clarity.”  Handing our lives over to God is easier said than done. Clarity allows us to stay in control while consulting God for “direction.”

We want to know the details.  God says, "Trust me."

We want to know where the road of a particular decision leads us.  God says, "Trust me."

We want "clarity" because we are really uncomfortable with the "unknowns" of trusting God.  Gods says, “Trust me.” 

Can it be that simple?

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."  

That will do for clarity.

Father, quiet our hearts and help us to lean on you.  You are faithful and trustworthy in all things. May we lay our lives at your feet knowing that you will lead us into the blessing of your purposes.  At the end of the day, there is no better place we can be.  Amen.

Randy Daugherty
Stephenville, Texas