This is a struggle I had from several years ago. I was consumed
with the idea that one might see the direction of their future by the direction
of the path of their past history, but at the same time, I couldn’t understand
why I was struggling with not having what I wanted. Maybe some other pastors
could share my feelings with where I was coming from, or not even pastors, but
just anyone. Where do you think your life path has taken you? What has the Lord
brought you through and why?
Is the principle of the path of least resistance a pattern
that stretches across the many facets of life? Or is it just limited to the
physics we encounter in life? In any event, keep reading and see where I was…
I have had several different
careers throughout my life. Anything from factory working, to tree felling, to
electrician, to heavy equipment operator, to leather tanner. There is something
I learned from looking back at all of these careers, as well as the other
activities in my life that I spent a considerable amount of time doing, such as
hiking through the deep woods, target shooting, etc., and what I learned is
that everything seems to have one major thing in common: the path of least
resistance.
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| Hogging dirt in the trough. |
When I was a heavy equipment
operator, I would frequently operate a D-9 Caterpillar, which is a pretty
enormous machine. Weighing in at over 100,000 pounds, having a 15 feet wide
blade, I could push an immense amount of dirt. If I were doing something called
“hogging” dirt, which means moving as much dirt as fast as possible, I and
every bulldozer operator out there knows that the more you shove the blade into
the earth, the slower the machine goes. Bulldozers have the ability to tilt
their blade, and if the operator tilted his blade too much to one side, then
the bulldozer would struggle to go in a straight line because all the weight of
the dirt would be on one side of the machine (The path of the least resistance
for the bulldozer was dependent on the depth, and angle of the blade).
If you can’t picture that, consider
laying sewer pipe (well, don’t consider it, but I mean think about it with me).
If the pipe headed downhill, and all the sudden, there is a rise in the pipe,
what happens? The flow stops, or pools. In construction, we know well that
these things take the path of least resistance, so we have laser levels and pipe
levels and GPS for the bulldozer and all kinds of other things to help us
create the path of least resistance.
Working for a master electrician, I
learned all about electricity (sometimes, the hard way). I learned that a
ground rod had to go really deep, because lightning will take the path of least
resistance. All of the outlets have to have a “ground wire” so that the
electricity can take the path of least resistance. Sometimes, I personally was
the path of least resistance for the electricity, and got a bite “BZZZT!” In
any event, that part wasn’t fun, but at least I was alert for the rest of the
day.
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| Between the fence posts was the goal. |
Anyway, we have well established
the path of least resistance. But, just in case, let’s consider one more. I
love to explore. I love walking through the deepest brush, where most people
would not dream of going. I try to leave the smallest imprint and leave no
tracks behind. Sometimes I trailblaze, but that is different than when I trudge
through the bush. On these journeys, I often encounter wildlife and their
signs (or even skeletons). When there is snow on the ground, there are deer tracks all over the
forest, almost like raindrops, depending where you are. Most of the time, these
deer tracks are in single file, all going down the same path. If there were
moguls in the middle of the woods, the deer would walk between them. They would
take the path of least resistance. At the same time, they do not want to get
shot by hunters, so they can’t just walk around an empty field, so the path of
least resistance in the deep woods on the deer trails is a popular choice.
These and several other things got
me thinking about something... I was actually in the woods and noticed all of
these deer trails and how they avoided certain things when I considered writing
about this subject. The subject at hand is God’s will. I’m not talking about
God’s will for mankind or God’s general will, but I am talking about His
special will or His personal will. “What is God’s will for my life?” that is a
question that I frequently ponder. Who is to say that I am not in God’s will
now? It seems that I will never know when I am in God’s will, because that
might mean that I won’t need to seek Him anymore. That is not what I am
discussing here though. As I mentioned, I have had several different types of
careers, and I’ll even introduce you to some new ones: cook, furniture mover,
landscaper, small engine mechanic, and when I said “factory worker” above, what
I meant was that it is horrific how many different factories I have worked at
in my life. What I want to know is the final place.
It seems that all of these skills
and education (both formal and informal), would lead me to excel at something
at least. What could it possibly be? I feel that I have a deep desire to
“contend for the faith” and “correct, rebuke and encourage, with great patience
and careful instruction,” and because of such, I feel that I am headed in the
right direction with ministry. I am passionate about these things. I am
passionate about apologetics. I have an M. Div. in apologetics as a matter of
fact. Now I am left with one thing. What is the path of least resistance? What
is that which comes most naturally to me in ministry? Where am I most
effective?
I am a senior pastor currently, and I find it very depressing when someone
leaves our church, and I find it depressing failing to bring people into our church. Therefore I question my ability to lead a church. If I am not supposed
to lead a church then, because my effectiveness for it is nonexistent, then
what is it that I should do? I have several years of education in ministry. In hindsight, it is
unbelievable that God would send me through all of this and not use it.
I look back and see where I was
effective in ministry. I was effective recently leading men’s group, I was
effective 10 years ago as a youth leader… I am effective counseling people and
couples. I am effective guiding people one on one. I am effective with certain
sermon topics…
Acts 16:6-8 says, “Paul and
his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having
been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.
When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the
Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down
to Troas.
Acts 27:7-8. We made slow
headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did
not allow us to hold our course, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite
Salmone. We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called
Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.
Looking back, I believe my problem was that I was reaching
for heaven. What I mean by that is that I wanted to find the perfect end
result. I wanted to know the final place. Realistically, I think that my heart
was not in the right place. I wanted heaven on earth, but in reality, no one
will ever come to that point because of the flesh. The issue is, I am not the
only part of the equation. There are other people and things, and the other
parts of this path of least resistance depend on the Great Manipulator (one
might also think of Him as the Great Conductor, which will be discussed below).
He is the one who manipulates the path of least resistance, much like the
operator controlling the blade of the bulldozer or the sawyer felling a tree, or
growing trees for deer to go around.
Now, it seems to me that there are two types of manipulation
of the path of least resistance from the Great Manipulator. The first is a
manipulation which is immediate, or present, so to speak. Just like in the case
of Paul traveling in his boat with difficulty, but still actually going
somewhere. This could seemingly be considered a miraculous event, because God
is clearly manipulating the contents in the universe in order to carry out His
divine plan. (One could argue that this wind is the result of a series of
causes from the beginning, but Paul was
in the right place at the right time. Continue reading for the conduction of
these events).
The second type of manipulating the path of least resistance
is basically the cause of the least resistance for a future event, or several
possible future events. The tree grew here
and not there, and therefore, the
hunter is able to take a shot at the deer because it had to slow down for a
turn coming up in the path of least resistance through the forest. This path
could provide a hunter with food every year (I live in Montana, so bear with
me). The deer could have trudged
through the thick brush, but it doesn’t. God causes the path of least resistance
to look the way it does for future events. He knew what needs were coming, and
therefore provided for those needs. He knows all counterfactuals, yet he knows which
path people will choose. He doesn’t force them to take the path of least resistance,
but He knows which of the many paths one will take and manipulates accordingly.
I briefly alluded to the Great Conductor above, so I want to
further elaborate on that for a moment.
The Great Manipulator and the Great Conductor… what is the
difference? The Great Manipulator creates the path for the life of an
individual, specifically speaking, with special will, and the Great Conductor
makes the multitudes of these paths fit together, no matter how diverse the
components of the individual.
The Great Conductor takes all of the ingredients of all of
the paths of all of the individuals, and causes them to work in symphony. Since
God is sovereign, His conduction of the symphony is flawless. There are clearly
several paths of least resistance working in action simultaneously on an
individual level, and as such, the abrasive interference of other paths would
be inevitable, were it not for the Great Conductor. Therefore, the Great
Conductor conducts all manipulations of paths of least resistance. This
convinces me that not only does God have a special will for us, but that we can
know some part of it beforehand.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and
he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” –James 4:7-8
Written by Nace Howell through the grace of the Lord Jesus
Written by Nace Howell through the grace of the Lord Jesus
© Nace Howell, 2018
So do you think that we always choose the path of least resistance and that is how the Lord guides us in His will because He knows we will take that path....
ReplyDeleteI think it is most natural for us to choose the path of least resistance and when we don't, this can cause confliction in our path. Think of walking on a hiking trail versus walking on the trail one is currently trailblazing. Not that we should always take the path of least resistance, but in most cases it seems, it is much less conflicting. But in any case, the Lord will test us and let us experience trials (Look at the book of Job, for instance). There is another element to the direction. Think of it like the hiking trail is already laid out for you. It is already there and you can see it in front of you and you can even see the direction it is going for a short period.
DeleteThis article is mostly about what God's will is for one's life. What has He been guiding you through? What shape is the potters clay becoming? I hope this helps!
I do not look at my choices and decide whatever way is easiest must be God’s will. Human nature I think often does but in Gods way of life it seems the opposite...after raising five children I am a little lost as to what to do with myself ... how much to work, who to allow in my life, what ministries I should be involved in, I just stepped out in faith in a huge move across the state and am starting over....
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying whatever way is easiest must be God's will. I'm saying that we can know something of God's will for our lives by looking at what He has brought us through.
ReplyDeleteAs far as what to do with yourself, it seems that at times we go through our own Exodus, re-learning who we are in God during a new chapter, and seeking Him in all of these thimgs is greatly beneficial. James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." Continue to faithfully seek Him and clarity will come.
I’ll just do today then ha ha
ReplyDeletePerfect!
Delete