Pin the Tail on the Donkey has to be one of the most frustrating games ever! Piñatas may have replaced it since it doesn’t seem as popular at children’s parties anymore. Both games require blindfolds and aimless direction, with either a prize given for the most accurate placement of a tail on a picture of a tail-less donkey, or a candy shower reward for breaking open the piñata while wandering around in darkness beating the air with a stick. I remember friends cheering me on as I got close to the donkey’s backside, but there were those who purposely steered me in the wrong direction, and the tail ended up on the donkey’s head.
Ambling through life aimlessly without goals and purpose is a lot like trying to find the piñata or the donkey’s backside. Sometimes we get into such a routine that slowly but surely a “blindfold” creeps over our vision, and we settle for a ho-hum, meaningless life.
Where there is no vision, the people perish, we are told in Proverbs 29:18. Guidance from the Lord—even for our everyday schedule—is so helpful and refreshing. Routines, appointments, tasks, etc. come alive when we include the Lord in them! Even something as simple as going to the market can become an opportunity to speak words of encouragement to a weary cashier. If we include the Lord in our daily planning, He will interject amazing “God opportunities” in the most boring, mundane task. The Message translation records Proverbs 29:18 like this, if people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; but when they attend to what He reveals, they are most blessed.
How planned and predictable has your life gotten? It’s dangerous when we begin to exclude God in our plans and go aimlessly in our own direction, assuming that tomorrow will be like today, or assuredly like we’ve planned it. James 4:13-16 (NLT) says, look here, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit." How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it's here a little while, then it's gone. What you ought to say is, "If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”
If the Lord wants us to… that’s the key! Discovering and doing what pleases the Lord brings our vision and purpose into view. Including the Lord in your daily to-do list will change your life. The blindfold of darkness will fall off as the Lord is included in your plans. A good way to start including Him is to write, at the top of your daily task list, “Devotions”. Let Him have the first word about the order of your day. Our vision and purpose should come from the Lord—today and every day!
© 2021, Chris Werre
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