home is where the heart is

Sep 2

written by shannon maupin

As kids head back to school, I keep thinking about one summer right before I started junior high, and I went on a trip to the mountains in Colorado with one of my friends and her family. She had gone to camp at Kanakuk that summer where she had learned about Christian artists, Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant. As we drove through the beautiful Rocky Mountains, we listened to cassette tapes of their songs that made me think about God like I never had before. I remember looking out the car window at the beautiful mountains and trees and being in awe in a new way.

When I got home, I bought the Amy Grant tape, Straight Ahead, and the song, Thy Word, played in my head over and over. I didn’t know at the time, but it was quoting Psalm 119:105, which says, “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” I had no idea what that meant, but it intrigued me.

Over the years, that has become one of my favorite Bible verses…because it is true. When I read the Bible, somehow God speaks to me and shows me what to do (the Bible is more than just an old book of wise sayings. It truly is the Word of God, and it is powerful!!). God shows me the next step I need to take in life, like a flashlight shining on a stone path. He never shows me the next two steps, by the way, or what’s around the corner (sometimes I so wish He would! But He knows I would freak out if He did, and I would turn around and run the other way). His Word literally guides my steps in life. It has for over thirty years. I probably sound old talking about cassette tapes and Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith, but I still feel like that 13 year old kid who was in awe of the idea that God’s Word could help me know what to do next. I look back on the crazy, windy path my life has been up to now and SEE how God has led me, so that helps me to trust Him as I still ask Him to show me the next step.

I’ll never be too old on this earth to need His Words to guide me.

I try to start every morning reading the Bible. I read it while I drink my first cup of coffee (I need it more than I need coffee, and that is saying a lot). Sometimes I read it from my actual Bible, a lot of times I listen to it on my phone. I have a Bible reading plan I love. It tells me what to read every day, which is great for me because it’s one less decision I have to make, and God speaks to me. He is with me as I read. His Word never gets boring (which is miraculous). God shows me different things every day, too, even though I have read it multiple times, and He truly guides my steps.

I don’t know what season you’re in in life. I’m a newly empty nester who wants to still make a difference in the world, so I keep reading and asking God to lead me. If you’re wanting direction, could I encourage you to try it? Ask God to use His Word to guide you. Maybe start with the Psalms or Proverbs. The Proverbs has 31 chapters, so you can just read the chapter that coincides with the date.