True North

If you have ever been hiking or hunting in an area that you have never been to before you may realize that having a compass is a very important thing to have on your journey. But having a compass with you and knowing how to use the compass can be two different things. To know where you are heading it is important to always have the compass arrow pointing true-North. As long as you have it pointing true-North you can be confident of knowing what direction you are heading.

I remember a time when I was a teenager, and I went hunting with my dad in Northern Michigan, in an area that I had never been to before. It was snowing fairly hard and as we trudged through the woods there were a number of little streams that we traversed over to get to a spot where I was to sit. Once there my dad moved on to a spot where he was going to sit. Before long the winter cold overwhelmed my whole body, and I felt the need to get back to the truck where I could warm up. As I headed back in the direction where I thought the truck was at I noticed the falling snow had filled in our tracks from earlier. It did not take long for me to discover that I had no clue of my location in this vast wilderness. The falling snow, the zig zagging through the woods, and sidestepping the different streams, had me so distracted that I could not get my bearing on where I was and where I was truly headed. Lost, with no compass and no true-North heading.

Believe it or not, you and I actually have a built-in compass that knows true-North. There are different names for this compass. Some people call it a conscience. Some call it your internal spirit. Suffice it to say that if we are aware of the true-North in our life then we can be confident of our direction in life.

What is our true-North? Two rules and one word easily define our true-North. The two rules are: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The most important and foundational word is love.

If everything we do is with the motivation of love then we are living true-North. Sometimes our conflict is that we do something for the love of self, which is okay if it is not at the cost of love for someone else or violating our relationship with God. Sometimes that is challenging.

In a recent Bible study, we talked about tension. Tension happens when we are in conflict with another. We may be passionate about our position and the other party may be passionate about their opposing position. Love is being open to hearing the other person’s position with genuine interest and love. Love is respecting the other person and treating them with dignity through the process of understanding and working together to come to a positive conclusion. Bringing God into the tension is a move of humility and love that brings better results. When we do that we tend to come away with greater wisdom and a true sense of love. Prayer changes everything.

Love, love, love.   Did I mention Love?  Love will always be moving true-North. Our secular world will throw distractions at us which if we let it will confuse and distort the right direction. We need to stay steadfast in keeping our direction true-North, loving God and loving our neighbor. Jesus did that in His life of ultimate love and compassion. He is clearly the truest example of living a life of true-North. Let us all strive to Shine Like the Son.