The Road Ahead

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think I am following your will
does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you
does in fact please you.
And I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road,
though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore, I will trust you always
though I may seem to be lost in the shadow of death.
I will fear not, for you are with me,
and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
By Thomas Merton, from Thoughts in Solitude

The word cartographer is on my mind these days. The Almighty, God, is the Divine Cartographer, map maker. This writing of Merton's speaks of unknown roads, roads that hold mystery. Yet those mysteries draw the soul that says "yes" to passionately following Jesus. In fact part of the passion is the mystery of the unknown and the expectation of discovery. This Cartographer has designed one map for each life. Within that lies the roads of the heart, the soul, and each day lived in the physical, emotional, mental, metaphysical and spiritual world of each human being.

There is a 1992 movie, Map of the Human Heart where an Eskimo boy, Avik, goes to Montreal for medical treatment and meets a young French girl, Albertine, there. Over time their hearts entwine but Avik is unable to open his heart enough to risk discovering the inner map of the heart. Eventually all sense of direction is lost and he is only a spectator to his own world, not a participant. (The review of this movie was poor but I rather liked it!)

Discovering the map therefore involves participating in the journey, and building a relationship with the Divine Cartographer. I know there is much much more to this subject and I am looking into it, searching it out, and eventually will write more.

Jeremiah had some good advise on consulting this map:
Go stand at the crossroads and look around.
Ask for directions to the old road,
The tried and true road. Then take it.
Discover the right route for your souls.

There is a map for life, a map within the soul planted at, or before, conception. There is also a map within the human heart with every stop, every detour, every past, present, and future destination marked upon it. Every dark place waits to be explored in the Light. There is nothing on our life map that is a surprise to Abba. And there is nothing the Divine Cartographer will not redeem to bring us to the green pastures and still waters that restore our soul. Risk and courage are required in order to uncover the treasure this map holds for each of us.

One more facet to the mystery of life!