My home sits on a hill. On many autumn days, I can see the fog hanging heavily in the valley below, like in this picture I took from my front lawn in late October. I have a clear view, but the people living in the valley can see only a few feet in front of them, which makes it especially hazardous when driving.
Even though it is now winter in Pennsylvania, the warmer temperatures we’ve experienced brings foggy mornings. The thick mist has even limited my visibility on top of the hill. According to discoverykids.com, “Fog is a cloud that occurs at ground level instead of in the sky and is made up of tiny droplets of water that float suspended in the air.” I like this simple definition because it is a great metaphor for the times in our lives when the fog closes in, visibility is limited, and we each lack clarity about ourselves or our situation. During those times in our lives, we want to make sure we:
Don’t speed ahead
If possible, I do not drive in heavy fog because the country roads where I live are narrow with little or no room for error. Veering off the edge of the road will catapult me down a steep bank. That’s an experience I prefer to avoid. When you lack clarity, dashing ahead is risky business and can have dangerous consequences. Maybe God has you waiting until the fog dissipates and your view becomes clearer. If so, be patient and trust him with where he has you now. Even if you feel the nudge to move forward, you might want to move slowly, seeking wise counsel and praying each step of the way.
Don’t focus only on the ground level
While I realize you can’t just hop into a plane and travel above the clouds, you can pray that God helps you move to higher ground spiritually. Like the saying “We can’t see the forest for the trees” implies, when we shift to a higher view then can we see the forest and the bigger picture of our lives and of our current situation. What could help you readjust your focus? Prayer? Talking or praying with a friend? Journaling? Reading Scripture? Listening to a podcast?
Don’t focus on what you can’t see
When we lack clarity about an issue we have a tendency to dwell on what we don’t know, what we can’t see. As a Christian coach, it is common for my clients to want to brainstorm about a troubling problem they lack clarity on. But if they continue to narrowly focus on what they can’t figure out, they will remain where they started-still lost in a fog. Mentor coach, Cheryl Scanlan, suggests that after a client is able to verbalize where she is now, as a coach I can ask, “What do you know already about your situation?” All too often in our attempts to push away the fog, we forget what we do know. We lose sight of what little clarity we already have about our situation. Look again at the picture of the fog hanging in the valley. Remember God has a higher and clearer view of your situation and is more than willing to help you. The next time you are in a fog you might want to ask these questions I adopted from Cheryl. Where are you now? Forgetting what you don’t know, what do you know? As a result of reflecting or journaling about that last question, what insights have you gained? What is God revealing to you?
