Here in Sedalia, Missouri, it’s been really cold…I mean…not Alaska cold…but too cold for somebody who has a habit of wearing shorts year-round.
This morning I woke up about 2:00 a.m., struggling with recent neck pain. As I walked around the living room, trying to find a little relief, I looked outside. We live next to a local school and so our backyard is lit up all the time. I noticed that a fog was moving in…it was so thick it really looked like rain…or…a light snow?!
Over the next couple of hours, I was mesmerized by the thickness of the fog…by 7:00 a.m., the sun was beginning to peak up from its evening rest and I looked out again…a school, not more than 125 yards from my house was invisible. For that matter, I couldn’t see the trampoline that rests 15 yards from my deck!
In wonder, I turned to the expert on fog – my smartphone. “Siri, what causes fog?” In the darkness, a voice rang out, “Fog is condensed water vapor that normally occurs close to the ground. Fog happens when warmer air interacts with cold air.”
Suddenly, I got excited! Turning to my handy weather app, I looked and, sure enough, warmer temperatures were at hand!
The fog wasn’t my enemy…it was something I’d been praying for!
It got me thinking about church the previous morning. As with many churches, we are going through some necessary growth and changes. One piece of those changes has been the addition of a new worship leader. I’m confident in the Lord’s leadership and expecting great things!
But all change is difficult…it creates uncertainty. Sometimes, you might say, “it gets a little foggy.”
And when it gets foggy, we are often afraid. We are afraid because we cannot see. In fact, fog can cause very threatening situations.
Like so many others, I was faced with my own mortality with the news of Kobe Bryant’s death. As the details have come to light, we have learned that the accident is believed to have been caused by fog – the pilot lost track of his altitude, didn’t know his terrain, and was traveling at too high of a speed for the conditions.
My heart goes out to these precious families who are grieving. I pray that the peace of Christ would guard them in this moment and that the light of Christ may spring forth.
In leadership, fog can be threatening. If we move too fast, if we don’t understand the terrain, and if we lose our bearings; lives can be lost. This is why leaders must be careful in the fog. We must make wise decisions, we must pilot our people with care, and we must understand their fears.
But as men and women under authority, we don’t necessarily need to jump to the wrong conclusions in the fog…I didn’t believe for a moment that my trampoline was stolen or that the school had mysteriously vanished – they were there, just out of my view.
We can embrace the fog…we can recognize that it is a reality of “changing conditions.” That a new air current has swept into our ministry.
In life, some days are foggy. We wake up one morning and things we thought we knew…we don’t know anymore. What was so patently obvious the day before, has vanished behind a haze of doubt and fear. Realities so clearly in view a moment before, vanish behind the veil of the unknown.
But here’s the point – fog doesn’t necessarily mean the change is bad…it means there is something different in the air.
If your life is a little foggy this evening, don’t jump to a conclusion. Navigate the terrain with care and caution. And, MOST IMPORTANTLY, remember there is a constant presence that never moves – “And we KNOW that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
One other thing…a journey in the fog is safer and more fun when we embark with others. Identify those precious friends and (like my son and I did on our journey to the school) hold hands, putting one foot in front of the other.
Held by Grace, PC