I am a reader of books! From all I hear from the pundits, you cannot be a leader unless you are a reader. Yet, just because I am a reader does not automatically make me a leader! But I am. Speed Reader? Often. Content Retention? Not always. That’s why I can return to the pages of the same book time and again, all the while feeling like it’s brand new!
There is personal satisfaction to finishing a book. Page, by page. Chapter, by chapter. The size of a book is never daunting. But the style of writing makes the consumption of the pages a breeze or a chore.
Last Wednesday night I shared this basic thought.
Turning the pages of a book is simply a metaphor for turning the pages of our lives. It’s easy to get stuck on a page due to circumstances, and we all struggle with circumstances! Think about the last 15 months of pandemic! It seems we are stuck and it’s almost impossible to move forward.
I’m personally tired of this season and am planning my moves to turn the page to a new chapter of life!
As I turned the pages of my bible, this scripture came up in my search. David has recorded a Prayer of Moses and one single line tells me the whole of his life.
For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.
(Psalms 90:9 KJV)
We spend our years as a tale that is told… I wonder what he means? Let’s Turn The Page and Find Out!
Moses
Moses is a good example of life not quite figured out until later years. During a time of crisis, he is set adrift among the bull rushes, found and raised as a child of an Egyptian. Then, his Jewish roots causes him to defend his people, and he kills a man. Fearing retribution he flees into the desert. The first 40 years of life was in Pharaoh’s house, and the next 40 years was on the backside of a desert as a nomad.
That’s 80 years of page turning!
Moses answers the call of God to go back to his roots, confront Pharaoh and share this message: “Let my people go!”
It’s hard to wrap our heads around the thought, but Moses spent the first 80 years of his life preparing for this moment! Back into Pharaoh’s house. Challenging the head of a nation with the message of God.
Then what? He spends the next 40 years leading stubborn people through time and space to the promised land. Only he’s not allowed to pass over.
120 years of page-turning and he’s not allowed to enter…
Some would cry out, that’s a waste! Why even pursue these pages? If we think in terms of “self,” then we probably do not see the whole picture. God always has a continuing plan. The story is not ended here. Joshua picks up the tale and carries it forward!
Let’s Turn The Page!
The Word of God
Through my years, I’ve read through the Bible many times. It’s not always an easy read. There have been bottlenecks of pressure to just live life, much less read God’s Word. True success, however, comes when we Seek God First (Matthew 6:33). Reading schedules are always my bane. It’s hard to follow a checklist because my mind is often distracted by rabbit trails. This makes me think of that, or this “word” makes me research its complete usage. What’s different between the testaments and covenants of God?
Often we get stuck on particular stories or portions of scripture that’s more to our liking. If I’m going to be successful in the word of God, then following a theme through scripture or reading it in chronological order gives me great satisfaction.
In Chronological order I can see the greater plan that God has.
Take the Book of Acts. It’s the story of God’s growth plan for the churches. At length, it tells of Paul’s journeys, Peter’s revelations, and how the church grew. When teaching a bible study at a job, I used Acts as my pivot book. Through the characters and places, when mentioned, we would turn to that epistle (letter) and study the writings of the person and location—a great way to put the books after Acts into order by occurrence.
If you have never studied the bible through, cover to cover, from the beginning to the end, then you should find space in your life to see the overarching plan of God!
A Metaphor For Your Life
Turning pages in a book is a great metaphor for your life. Sometimes it’s difficult to move from “here to there” because we get stuck in a season, or we feel lost along the path. It’s easier to look over our shoulders and read the past like a book, yet, it’s difficult to look forward and determine our future.
When writing, an author works hard to fill up a blank page with logical steps to continue a saga or complete a thesis. When this page is completed, then another blank page magically appears. I’ve never felt a loss of writing anything because a blank page is staring me in the face. My mind never quits thinking. As a pilot who is constantly working to fix the mid-air problem to ensure a crash never occurs, I am always analyzing my past, present and future. The past is read from the current present, and some logical path opens into the future to start writing that page a certain way. Pilot? Save us!
We all reach someplace in our present we never saw coming. “I did not know that would produce this!” Welcome to my world! Technology, relationships, church, you name it. It’s easier to second guess ourselves with “If Only…” but that’s not a good way to spend your energy. A better path forward says, based upon good common sense and a plan from God, if I do this, then I’m leading to a better place in the future!
Are you stuck in your book of life? Do you need an impetus to move forward? It’s often easier said than done. However, you can do it! Turn Your Page!