During a vacation to St. Charles, Missouri, the quaint town that in 1804 was the launching point for Meriwether Lewis and William Clark’s history-making expedition west of the Mississippi River, I became fascinated with the courage of these adventurous men. Knowing little about what they might find, the Corps of Discovery was thrilled to head off into uncharted land, land so mysterious that even President Thomas Jefferson believed that the woolly mammoth might still have inhabited the area.
I was feeling a little like Lewis and Clark at the time, only a bit overwhelmed by another kind of uncharted territory ahead of me: special work projects; the presidency of an organization I belonged to; becoming leader of my son Ross’s Cub Scout den; leading a Bible study for the first time. I wondered how Lewis and Clark were able to bridge the gap between the known and the unknown. As I learned more, the answer seemed to lie in their great faith—faith in themselves and in each other, unfailing trust in their own skills and judgment.
That’s the kind of faith God wants me to have in Him, I thought. I must trust in His limitless abilities, His leadership and His judgment to know what’s right for me. He created these wonderful opportunities for me: to lead an organization I care about; to spend time with my son in learning and fun; to express myself creatively in work and church.
When I feel I’m in over my head, I need to turn to God in prayer, asking His guidance and direction. I can count on His infinite skill to lead me through the wilderness He sets before me.
