Is it really all about Jesus?

     I know that it should be.  But, what happens when we wake up?  Do the cares of the world, the pressures of work, family and church draw you into yourself or into Jesus?  I think that I've been on that path before.  If I remember right, it leads no where.  I went driving with my teenagers on Saturday.  My 16 year old turned onto a street and didn't know it was a dead end.  When we had gone the length of the road she was faced with turning around.  Not always easy on what we see as a one way road.  She, however, did get turned around and on we went.  That's what the Christian does.  We turn off of the straight and narrow and go down a road we think we want to travel and end up finding ourselves at the dead end eventually.  In the world we need to turn around, travel back down the road and get back on the main road.  In the Christian world we need to simply repent and we are back on the road again.  Quite different.  Why?  Because Jesus has traveled down that road with us and is right there when we choose to be on His road.  I like to think of my life in a plan A and plan B form.  Plan A is always with God and his best.  Plan B is where I think I can run a particular part of my life and leave Plan A.  When I get to the end of plan B and repent, God puts another plan A in front of me.  It's goal is always the same.  That goal is to be in Christ and not in the world. 
     Sometimes I seem to wake up not knowing that I've left plan A.  It's terrifying to say the least.  It's like going into a foreign city and getting lost.  I did that once.  I was trying to maneuver Chicago downtown streets and found myself lost.  Thinking (wrong thing to do) that I could find my way out I wandered and looked for a sigh to lead me out.  It was on the next corner that I decided to ask for help.  I stopped beside an elderly lady who stated "Boy, you are in the wrong part of town."  Tell me something I didn't know.  She was kind enough to give me simple directions (usually the best kind) and I was able to be on my way and in a safer place.  I later learned that I had landed myself in the midst of the most violent part of Chicago.  Opps!  That seems to be standard for many in their Christian life.  Outside of Christ we are subject to the violence and destruction of the enemy.  He presents a way which we think is taking us to our objective while all along we are being led into the most dangerous of situations...outside of God's plan A.  Sometimes we are so into "doing it by myself" that we miss the warning signs telling us to get out of Dodge!  Finding ourselves in that space as Christians is not good and we need only to call upon Jesus to get back to God's plan A.
     Years later I would find myself in the south end of Seattle on unfamiliar streets.  I recognized that I was in stage one of getting lost.  I surprised my rider by stopping and asking for directions and was back on track quite quickly.  My rider was shocked that a MAN would ask for directions.  I explained Chicago and it all made sense to them.  So, instead of being insensitive to the signs put before me that I am off track all I need to do is ask myself if my pride is so precious that I can't ask for directions.  Christians seem to think they can maneuver life without asking for directions.  They can't.  When they do so they are being the god of their own world dictating where the road leads and why it's best for them.  The Christian who recognizes the voice of the Holy Spirit talking to them is wiser by far. Because they have surrendered their pride they are able to accept and incorporate the leading of the Spirit.  In everyone's life it's either all about you or ALL about Jesus.  It's always your choice.