Mental Institutions and homeless shelters around the world are filled with people who, in moments of clarity, might tell you how they somehow lost their way. Perhaps they will even admit to you an understanding of how they came to be in the predicament they now find themselves in. Maybe it was drugs or alcohol, maybe the loss of someone close to them they just couldn’t reconcile, or perhaps they were in their own eyes, irredeemably abused or damaged by someone they trusted. Many more, will not share the tragedy which seems to lock them away in some imaginary prison and a perpetual state of resigned victimhood. The list of obstacles in life and heartbreaking circumstances seems endless.

Regardless of how they got there, the tragedy of seeing someone give up on life, on themselves more specifically, can be heart wrenching if you have any level of compassion at all. Not just because it happens occasionally, or we’re afraid of it happening to us, but because it happens so frequently that it can overwhelm you at times if you’re not drowning it out. Of course, losing your way doesn’t always land you in one of these situations, but it can derail your whole life if your not paying attention.

To make this more personal let me tell you about my step father-in-law who is unfortunately no longer with us. He was what some may call a functioning alcoholic as he held down one job for 30 or 40 years until retirement, but then died shortly thereafter, giving up the ghost to a spirit of drunkenness and a diseased liver. However, what I loved about him was that he was such a kind and caring man, a man whom you could tell had a genuine love for people, especially his grand kids, even though they were not his own, but somewhere along the trail, he lost his way.

Whenever my family and I visited him and grandma, he always went out of his way to make sure the kids had everything they needed and wanted. He spent time with them and genuinely seemed to enjoy tossing a ball, or pushing them on the swings. When sober, he was very engaged and you could practically see in his eyes how the kids brought such joy to him. However, once the vodka kicked in, he was for the remainder of the day, effectively checked out. Now perhaps, many might say it was a good thing as he wasn’t mean, or violent that I ever witnessed, but he was gone, missing in action. As a newer father, husband and member of the family, I enjoyed his sober companionship and appreciated his kindness and always looked forward to visiting their house. We had, in moments of his sobriety some good conversations and shared some common interests, particularly WWII history, but those windows of shared camaraderie slowly diminished until eventually all that remained was the shell of man hollowed out by alcohol, inch by painful inch.

I’m not always sure who it is more painful for – it slowly happening to them, or to the observers who are aware of their tortured souls, but because of an unwillingness for them to accept any rescue efforts, must helplessly standby and watch it. Now what happened to John to make him quit on life, I’m afraid I’ll never know, but it does grieve me for both his sake and the sake of my children who no longer get the benefit of a loving grandfather. Was it selfishness on his part for the love of a drink, or did someone, somewhere long ago steal his self worth?

Regardless, we who are still among the living all have choices to make, and if my own life is any measure, a lot of them are bad, but we must never give up in spite of the circumstances; the stakes are too high. That is precisely why we need a map, a compass and a guide. As I and many before me have said, life is a journey, and anyone whose ever travelled before understands that if you are ever going to take a long journey, you need to understand three things, both where you are going and how you are going to get there, but more importantly why you are even going in the first place. Those who are too focused on either the attractions or the obstacles along the way, will invariable never make it, or at a minimum will end up like John. Either numb to the pain in this world or angry or bitter that you never got what you truly wanted.

The million dollar secret though is this, if you’re only focused on the details between your birth and your gravestone, this life will never make sense to you, and thus the journey will ultimately seem empty and void. If your focus is on eternity, and you accept the gift of the one who grants it, then neither the attractions or the obstacles will distract you from what is truly important.

The Bible tells us, that God has made everything beautiful in its time and has set eternity in the hearts of man (Ecc 3:11).

Jesus further said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10

If read in it’s entirety with a seeking heart, the Bible will clearly show you that Satan is the enemy, and God is the loving Father you never knew you had. If you can wrap your head around this concept, then slowly, this world and all that goes on in it will slowly start to make sense.

Otherwise, life will always seem meaningless, the scratch that you just can’t itch, the longing that will never be met.

This is precisely why, finding your way, is forever and un-shakeably intertwined to finding the one, and that “ONE” is none other than Jesus Christ!