As we head into the new year, I’m feeling a bit directionless.
Last summer, I thought I knew exactly where I was going. I had everything mapped out—clear plans, defined next steps, a sense of forward momentum. Then the Lord took me on a three-month detour. It became clear that my plans were not His plans.
The detour stripped away certainty, productivity, and my sense of momentum—but not His presence.
So what now? What comes next now that I am home?
I have no idea. None. And that is a little unsettling.
“Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where You’re going. How can we know the way?”
John 14:5
It’s such a rational question, isn’t it? Thomas assumes that because he doesn’t know the destination—or anything about it—he cannot possibly know how to get there. That seems reasonable to us. We’re accustomed to wanting the full picture before we feel secure enough to move forward.
We want clarity because clarity makes us feel in control—and control makes us feel safe.
But Jesus responds in a way that reframes everything.
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
John 14:6
In essence, Jesus is saying, You don’t need to know the destination. You already know the way.
At first, that feels confusing. How can you travel somewhere without knowing where you’re going?
But when you think about it, we do this all the time.
If someone told me, “Get on the Blue Line Express train that leaves this station at 4:00 p.m. and get off at the last stop,” I wouldn’t need to know the precise location of that final stop. I wouldn’t need a map or an address. I would simply need to get on the right train and stay on it.
The train itself would be the way.
Of course—and this matters—not just any train will do. Different trains lead to different destinations. Choosing the wrong one guarantees you’ll end up somewhere else entirely.
The same is true of the Kingdom of God. If that is your desired destination, you must choose the way that leads there.
Jesus told them
“In My Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also.”
John 14:2–3
Jesus tells His followers that He is preparing a place for them—and that He Himself will come and take them there. The burden of arrival does not rest on them. Their task is simpler, though not always easy: to know Him and follow Him.
So even though I currently feel aimless—somewhat unmoored and uncertain about the future—I don’t need to let my heart be troubled. I don’t need to know the destination.
I know the Way.
And that is enough.
If you don’t know the Way, let me know. I’d love to introduce you to Him.
a surrendered life 