You're Leading, Lord, Thus Far..

I'm one of those people who, unfortunately, can often be an out-of-site-out-of-mind kind of person. I forget things if they aren't right in front of my face. I've even forgotten my passport in a hotel safe in Belgium before (luckily I got it back before I had to go to the train station). I had even said the night before I needed to get it out of the safe or I would forget it. Forgot to get it out of the safe, and –– of course –– forgot it when I left the hotel. I write down events, times, assignments, birthdays, everything and often put an alarm on my phone for them because I can be that forgetful.

The small script tattoo across the side of my foot reads, "You're leading, Lord, thus far..." Most people don't ask if there's any story behind it, because it does seem self explanatory. There actually is a little more behind it then just what it says, and I got it permanently embedded into my skin so that I would remember what's behind it.

I've actually been asked three times in the last weekend why I chose it, which I think is a bit of a sign in and of itself. So I thought it would be good to write something down so that other people could know, but also so that when I have trouble remembering I can look back at this.

Years ago at the church I grew up in, the couple that led the music would write their own songs inspired by different Bible verses and stories. The one that has always stuck with me was "Thus Far".

The chorus goes-

You brought us to the raging waters,

We stepped in, the waters parted

Sheltered by your faithfulness and love.

Stone on stone  we build an alter, 

For you are the Lord our God,

You're leading, Lord, thus far.

The song is a reference to Moses and the Israelites in the dessert. God delivered them out of Egypt, and right away they faced an impossible challenge. God parted the sea so that they could walk by on dry land, the first of many incredible miracles. As they continued on into the dessert on the way to the land God promised to them, they followed a cloud in the sky by day and a pillar of fire by night. Time and time again they questioned, argued with, and turned from and back to God and time and time again he continued to  meet their needs with an oasis, water from rocks, manna and quail, and something and someone to lead them. When they got to the Promised Land –– the Land of Milk and Honey –– they found giants were inhabiting it. It didn't look like what they were expecting. They thought they could just walk in and everything was theirs. They were confused and afraid and thought that maybe they were wrong about everything they had been thinking. But again, God delivered them and fulfilled his promise. 

The reason I chose to have it as a constant reminder is because there are so many things in that story that I forget. Because I've grown up with these stories and know them from beginning to end, I forget that the Israelites didn't really know what to expect exactly. They didn't really know how long they would be in the dessert, they didn't really know what all they would face, and they didn't really know what would happen when they got there. All they had to go on was a promise from someone they couldn't see and couldn't touch. It's easy to question how they could have doubted so often when God proved himself time and time again and in such super natural ways. But it's also easy to forget how often we do the same thing today. It's also easy to forget that we know how their story ended, but they didn't –– just like we don't know exactly how our story will end. 

God guided them by a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. To me, it reminds me that sometimes God's guidance is very subtle –– as subtle as a cloud in the sky. Sometimes his guidance is as blatant and unusual as a pillar of fire. Either way, He is always guiding us in one way or another so long as we are looking for Him. As I said before, along the way he continually provided things they needed, just as he does during the different seasons of our life. Finally, when they got where they were going it didn't look like anything they had expected. This happens to us so often, and it makes us question if had been wrong or done the wrong thing or made the wrong decision. The thing is, they weren't wrong. They were right where they were supposed to be, and in the end it was better than anything they could have imagined. I believe that it's the same for us. 

So that's the story, and it's a little more than what you might get just by reading the tattoo on my foot. It's something I continue to forget and am glad I got the reminder, and I'm thankful for the people who remind me of it without even meaning to.