Marching off the map

Oasis, the organization that I work for in India is changing and there are many things about change that are frightening and can unnerve even the one who is initiating it and that of course in many ways is me. And the main reason for my fear and also possibly the fear of others is that change follows no known road maps and in the non existence of maps, we often feel lost. It's our natural impulse to want to go back to familiar territory - to go back to the land we know, to the places that are recognized, to the areas we have maps for. Everyone in the history of the world has always been tempted to go back to what it has known, but to continue reinventing oneself will require that we will always march off the map and conquer new worlds and do different and untested things. We have a choice - we can be an entity that turns back to what is familiar, or we can be a truly pioneering entity and march off the map to do the things that truly need to be done instead of doing the same things over and over again

Every one of us reaches a point in our lives when we're challenged to march off the map, to step into uncharted territory. . In my personal life as well as professional life, there have been many- , when I chose to follow Jesus Christ, when I left the secure job in the Indian Air Force, when I married my wife who is not an Indian, when we chose to adopt our daughter. Some situations and their consequences I could expect, but I can guarantee that I have and all us have to learn to always come face-to-face with the unexpected, no matter how well we plan or research or learn from others. There's always something new, an uncharted course that's waiting for us. And some of the twists and turns of the course of my life has left me bewildered. And though frightening, we need to learn to be able to take the risks that are involved in advancing God's kingdom here on earth.

The apostle Paul gives us some suggestions as to how we can best do that. "Forget what lies behind," he says. That doesn't mean that Paul doesn't want us to celebrate the past. Paul is always about celebrating the past; sharing the lessons he's learned, savouring his successes. What Paul is telling us here is "don't dwell in the past?" Don't always look back and think, "Remember when we used to do it that way.

What Paul is telling us is that things change. Times change, styles change, the culture changes, people's needs change. And if we don't keep up with those changes, we will get stuck in the past. And if we get stuck in the past, in the way things were, in wanting things to go back to what is familiar, to what is comfortable, to what is safe, pretty soon we will let fear and familiarity dictate what we do, and we will be afraid to try something new. Paul also tells us to strain forward to what lies ahead. Here's where there's a tension between all three elements of time - the past, the present and the future. We know we shouldn't dwell in the past, to wish for things to be the way they were. We know it's important to live in the present, because that's where we are today. But we're also called to "look ahead," to visualize a future.

It's the same message that Jesus gives us in the Sermon on the Mount. "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you," Jesus says, "that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.” "Don't long for the past and d the way things have always been." Jesus tells us. "I'm showing you a new way to live. Remember the past if it's important to you. Enjoy those memories, cherish what you learned, celebrate what worked, but don't live in the past. Because I have something better prepared for you."

Anyone knows you can't run a successful business without a plan. We can't run a household without some kind of budget. We need to look ahead to see what's coming next. All those questions relate to present and future planning. The future may not be exactly what we envisioned, we'll all have to make some changes to accommodate new thinking and new directions, there will certainly be a learning curve as we get to know and understand just what is going on, and adapt to new personalities and peculiarities, but we can rest assured in the fact that God has things provided for.