Have you ever driven through really dense fog? It can be quite unnerving. You can only see a few yards, maybe even feet, in front of you. What is interesting about fog is that it may not seem threatening, like driving through a really bad storm, but it’s stillness, eeriness, and the darkness that comes with it can be just as dangerous if you are not careful. You don’t know what is coming next, it forces you, as the driver, to slow down and really focus.
I feel like we all hit dense patches of fog at some point in our life. Whether it is personal, spiritual, or business related, the fog creeps in quick and we cannot seem to get clarity on what to do, what the next move is, or even what direction to go in.
Maybe you feel like these past few months you have been living in a fog. Everything seems clouded around you and you are lucky if you can see the next 100 yards in front of you. With everything almost being brought to a standstill, new information and differing opinions coming at us every day, it was easy to get consumed by the fog and just wish for some type of clarity. It becomes difficult to navigate and make decisions.
If you are anything like me this causes you to feel frustrated and overwhelmed. I like to see things clearly. When my next steps start to look foggy, I panic. It can feel as if you are spinning in circles rather than going forward. So, how do we navigate and work through it effectively when it hits?
Step by Step
Even though you feel as if you can only see a few feet in front of you, focus on the steps directly ahead of you that you can see. In a society that promotes and encourages going a mile a minute, sometimes we are thrown curveballs that force us to slow down. Don’t let all the distractions, voices, and information that is being thrown at you cloud your judgement even more, focus on what you can see and work on despite the fog that surrounds you.
When I ran my marathon, one of my tactics to keep me sane was to take it mile by mile. The second I began to think about the finish line being (literally) 12 miles away, I became overwhelmed and anxious, second guessing my training and abilities. I had to force myself to think mile by mile, step by step, focusing on what was in front of me at that moment rather than getting consumed by the big picture. They aren’t kidding when they say running is a mental battle.
Amplify Your Vision
In a car, the brightness setting on the headlights are used so that the driver can illuminate farther down the road when needed. Although some drivers seem to believe it’s the only setting of lights to use. It’s a resource that has been programmed into your car so you can use it to amplify your vision. When things become foggy, turn to your resources. Find things that will help bring you clarity. This could be reading through scripture, prayer, seeking wise counsel, talking to a business coach, whatever resources you can find to help bring you clarity, use them!
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
– Psalm 119:105
Focus on God
When the fog creeps in and usually it creeps in quickly, we must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. I know when I get in a fog, I have a tendency to let my problems and circumstances at that time become bigger than the God that guides my steps. But, when I focus on Him and allow Him to navigate me through, I can feel the oppressiveness of the fog lift because I know I can trust the promises of God. I can trust that He will guide the way, it may not be the way I originally thought we were going, but His ways are bigger than my own.
As you emerge from the fog, finally receiving clarity on what your next steps will be or what decision you have to make, don’t forget to look back and remember what God did when you were in there. Look back and see how He guided you and brought clarity to you. In the Bible, we see God constantly telling the Israelites to remember Him and what He had done for them, but they quickly would forget of His deliverance and they grumbled and complained.
I believe that in order to keep going forward, we have to look back, as hard as it may be sometimes, to see where and what God has brought us from. It not only keeps us humble, but is a constant reminder of how our dependence needs to be on Him. And when the next patch of fog starts to creep in, we have confidence that God will guide us through and sustain us.
“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.”
– Psalm 77:11
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