Marching Off the Map
Marching Off the Map
Proverbs 3:5–6 (NKJV)
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” There is a story from the first century B.C.—perhaps apocryphal, yet powerful. It comes from a time when much of the world was unexplored, unknown, and largely unmapped. Mapmakers needed a way to represent those regions that had not yet been discovered, so they filled the blank spaces with images of dragons, monsters, and great sea creatures. The message was clear: uncharted territory was dangerous, even terrifying. Unknown lands held hidden dangers. Yet, some maps carried another message alongside the warnings: “There be treasures.”
The story goes like this: A Roman commander, leading his battalion into battle, found himself advancing into one of those unmapped regions—the very place marked by dragons and uncertainty. Faced with a decision to press forward into the unknown or retreat back to familiar ground, he sent a messenger to Rome with this urgent request: “Please send new orders. We have marched off the map.”
Today, I completed my second funeral service in three days—one on Saturday, and another today. During today’s service, a young man came forward to speak about his great-grandmother. As he stood at the microphone, it wasn’t just his words that caught my attention—it was the sweatshirt he was wearing. Printed across the back were these very verses from Proverbs. One of my favorites. I have often said that I am directionally challenged. Thank God for GPS—well, most of the time. It helps, but it’s not foolproof. We all have places to go and people to see, and when we don’t know where we’re going, we need guidance.
Life is like that. We make plans. We chart our course. But plans change. In the world of construction, they call them “change orders.” In life, we call them reality.
The Hebrew people followed Moses and Aaron out of Egypt, yet when Moses lingered on Mount Sinai with God, the people grew restless. They built a golden calf and, in essence, formed a “Back to Egypt Committee.” Later, as they stood on the edge of the Promised Land, only Joshua and Caleb would enter—along with the next generation. As Scripture says: “Not one of you shall enter the land… except Caleb… and Joshua… but your little ones… they shall enter.” (Numbers 14:30–31)
What does that say to us? Churches—and the people within them—must remember that we are stewards of what God has entrusted to us. In Luke 19, the Parable of the Ten Pounds reminds us that faithfulness is measured by what we do with what we’ve been given. So, where are we in these stories? Are we engaged, stepping forward in faith? Or are we standing on the sidelines, waiting for others to decide?
You’ve heard me say it before: God has blessed you to be a blessing; inspired you to be inspirational. So—do it. Step forward. Trust God. Even if it feels like you’ve marched off the map. Because sometimes, that’s exactly where God does His best work.
Blessings from Pottsboro, Pastor Frank (alegria@lakewayumc.org)
P.S. March off the map. You have my permission.