In Search of True North
There is nothing more frustrating than being lost but for as long as I have been driving there has always been a GPS on my phone telling me where to go every step of the way. It is hard for me to imagine a time before GPS, however there was a time when people would find their way with only a map and the point of compass.What makes a compass useful is it's ability to find "True North." When a compass can be relied upon to give you an exact direction, it is possible to get your bearings and put yourself on the right path to your destination. But not all compasses can be trusted. When a compass is damaged or comes into contact with a strong outside force like a magnet, the compass can lose its ability to find "True North" and it becomes unusable. A compass that does not point north has become useless and any directions based off of it will be skewed, leading in the wrong direction.In the world in which we live, it is difficult for our moral compasses not to become skewed. When the people around us, the media we consume, and the educations we receive tell us that there is no objective morality or that there are no absolute standards of truth or behavior, our compass can become distorted and point away from the truth. The world may teach that any direction is a good as another or that morality is subjective. It may claim that if something feels good or seems right then it must be right. However, we read in Proverbs 14:12 that this kind of philosophy is flawed. There may be a way that seems right, but in the end it leads nowhere.So we need to ask ourselves, "What is the 'True North' of our moral compass?" What is the point of reference we need to guide our lives? Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). In effect, Jesus is claiming that he is the "True North" of morality. His standard is the standard of truth. We should be watchful that moral compasses are not neglected or manipulated because without a clear moral direction, we will most certainly be lost.
