Where You Lead, I Will Follow

Posted On May 2, 2021

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.'”

Isaiah 30:21 NIV

I was driving my daughter to school on a rainy morning, slowly and carefully, trying to navigate the waterlogged road. The lane markers were not visible beneath the currents beginning to flow, and I was cautiously making my way, well aware of an impatient driver behind me. I proceeded as fast as I could safely, but apparently it wasn’t fast enough. When I pulled over into the left-turn lane in preparation to turn off, the driver rewarded me with an angry honk as he sped past. I was hurt and a little confused about his impatience. Couldn’t he see how treacherous the road was? Then I realized, no, he probably couldn’t. He didn’t have to. All he had to do was follow me to know where to go. I was the one guiding him as I searched for the invisible lane markers, and from his point of view, it was taking me way too long.

As I thought about this on my drive home, it reminded me of how I relate to God sometimes as He tries to guide me. I get impatient and don’t understand why it’s taking Him so long to get me where He wants me to go. But what I’m forgetting is that He can see the hazards that lie ahead and I can’t. I need to trust that His speed is best. Instead of an angry and hurtful honk as I try to speed past Him, God deserves my humble thanks. I need to be grateful He is there to lead me so that I don’t have to try to make my own way along a treacherous road. My attitude should always be, where You lead, God, I will follow.

This thought then reminded me of the theme song of Gilmore Girls, one of my family’s favorite television shows. My daughters and I have spent hours watching it over the years. In fact, my granddaughter’s nickname Rory comes from this show. And its theme song, “Where You Lead” by Carole King, has lovingly ingrained itself in my brain. Thus, I thought Gilmore Girls would provide a perfect backdrop for this week’s post. So grab a huge mug of coffee, get ready for some fast talking, and remember that our heavenly Father loves us “a thousand yellow daisies!” Let’s promise to follow where He leads.

Gilmore Girls centers around the relationships among three generations of Gilmore women: Lorelai Gilmore, her mother Emily Gilmore, and Lorelai’s daughter Rory Gilmore. I have based this week’s discussion on three quotes, one by each Gilmore girl, and accompanying clips from the show. Let’s start with Lorelai:

“Well, you know my babbling capabilities are infinite.” – Lorelai

Gilmore Girls

Lorelai’s babbling reminds me of how I must sound to God sometimes — ok, probably most of the time, if I’m being honest. I talk and talk and talk, but I don’t stop to listen. I say I want His guidance and I want Him to transform me. But instead of spending quiet time communing with Him, attentive to His voice and His leading, I babble incessantly. How is God supposed to get a word in edgewise when He’s having to listen to me blab “please do this, please do that, give me this, give me that, bicycle, unicycle, unitard, hockey puck, rattlesnake, monkey, monkey, underpants”?!

I have to make a conscious effort to stop talking and listen when I pray. I have found that what works best for me is to write my prayers in a journal, reminding myself to begin by coming to God in reverence and gratitude. I still “pray without ceasing” throughout my day, but to make myself slow down and organize my thoughts, I write out a prayer before I begin my Scripture and devotional readings for the day. Then I write what I learn from each reading in the same journal. As I gain insight and leading from the Holy Spirit, I continue to write out prayers in response, and I really focus on what He is trying to tell me. Then I make a decision to apply what I’ve learned. I still have a long way to go, but this practice has helped me learn to slow down and give God my quiet attention.

“It is one thing to speak to God. It is another thing to listen. When we listen to God, we receive guidance from the Holy Spirit. . . . I believe that the Holy Spirit really does offer to lead or guide or give direction to human beings — ordinary people. He wants to do this for all of us.”

John Ortberg, The Life You’ve Always Wanted

In this next clip, Emily is trying, unsuccessfully, to have a conversation with Lorelai over the phone:

“This is easily the most pointless conversation we’ve ever had.” – Emily

Gilmore Girls

Lorelai had decided she didn’t want to go over to her mother’s house, but she didn’t want to have to justify this decision. Instead, she called Emily to inform her she wouldn’t be there and then pretended she couldn’t hear what Emily was saying. This scene is obviously meant to be humorous, but it, too, reminds me of my often one-sided conversations with God. I go into my prayer with my decision already made and inform Him of it, not willing to listen to His response. Basically, this makes the whole conversation pointless. If I’m not going to listen to what God is saying and obey His instructions, even if I don’t agree with them, then how is He supposed to lead me? The whole point of following someone is to let them guide you.

The danger here is that the more I ignore God, the harder it is to hear Him when I need to. The more I refuse to obey Him, the less He’ll be able to lead me. After all, why would He keep giving me instructions if I’m not going to follow them? If I’m not careful, I can find myself way off track, surrounded by trouble, with no one to guide me out. When I find myself starting to drift away from God and His leading, I have to stop and go back to where I left Him. I have to confess my sin of disobedience, turn back to Him, and obey the last thing He told me to do. I have to come to Him with humility and praise, listening for His voice, and willing to obey whatever He says. As I have discovered, this is hard to do consistently. It’s so easy to get off-track. But the good news is that God never gives up on us. He never abandons us or stops loving us. He is always calling us back to Him. All we have to do is listen for our Father’s voice.

“Have you been one-sided in your conversations with God, telling Him your needs instead of listening to His instruction? . . . If you want God to lead you and transform your life, then you need to hear what He’s saying. . . . He cannot help you if you will not walk with Him, and you cannot walk with Him if you won’t allow Him to lead you. And unfortunately, He cannot lead you if you refuse to listen to Him.”

Charles F. Stanley, 30 Life Principles

Our final clip spotlights Rory and her friend Logan as they prepare to take a literal leap of faith:

“Every relationship is just a big honking leap of faith.” – Rory

Gilmore Girls

According to Merriam-Webster, the Latin phrase in omnia paratus means “prepared in all things” or “ready for anything.” The spectators in the scene above use it as a battle cry to inspire Rory and the other jumpers to take a giant leap of faith. When they successfully reach the ground after their exhilirating adventure, Rory describes it as “a once-in-a-lifetime experience.” Logan replies, “only if you want it to be.”

When we study God’s Word and learn to hear God’s voice, He prepares us to do His will. He gets us ready for anything we will be called to do. If we trust Him, He will lead us to take giant leaps of faith on a journey filled with incredible adventures. We may have had a glimpse of this in the past, seeing God work in a miraculous way in our lives. We may think, “Wow! That was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.” But God replies, “only if you want it to be.” God wants to thrill us and amaze us over and over again. He has so much planned for each one of us, more than we can dare to dream or imagine. But He won’t force us into anything. We have to make the decision to jump. We have to choose the adventure. It’s not an easy road, but it’s the only road worth traveling!

“Learning from the lessons of believers who have gone before us, we realize that all progress in the Christian life comes by faith. We turn to our road map [the Bible] over and over again. We lean our ear in His direction to receive encouragement for today. Yes, it may be an arduous path, but it is indeed an adventure. We must proceed. The requirements: hearing God’s voice and obeying it.”

James W. Goll, The Beginner’s Guide to Hearing God

This week’s Scripture passages focus on following God. There is a printer-friendly pdf version below the image. I have also included a video of the Gilmore Girls theme song “Where You Lead” by Carole King. As we walk in faith, may we learn to quiet our babbling and listen for His voice. Then may we have the courage to respond to God’s leading with trust and obedience, ready to leap into the adventure that awaits!

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12 NIV

References:

• “Carole King – Where You Lead, I Will Follow (from Welcome To My Living Room).” YouTube, uploaded by Carole King, 23 December 2016, https://youtu.be/e3xwcji1BLQ.
• Gilmore Girls. Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, Warner Bros. Television Distribution, 2000-2007.
• “Gilmore Girls- Lorelai babbling.” YouTube, uploaded by Gwen, 10 March 2008, https://youtu.be/RPqxYnGKYpc.
• “Gilmore Girls – You Jump, I Jump, Jack!” YouTube, uploaded by Gilmore Girls Brasil, 9 February 2017, https://youtu.be/r7UnocId428.
• Goll, James W. The Beginner’s Guide to Hearing God. Regal from Gospel Light, 2008.
• “Lorelai’s great answering machine trick :).” YouTube, uploaded by eduardrueb, 3 December 2011, https://youtu.be/Ovb4kMcToVI.
• Ortberg, John. The Life You’ve Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People. Zondervan, 2002.
• Stanley, Charles F. 30 Life Principles Study Guide: A Study for Growing in Knowledge and Understanding of God. Thomas Nelson, 2008.

Images:

• Autumn Path featured image by Valiphotos from Pixabay
• Path Covered in Leaves image by jplenio from Pixabay
• Yellow Daisies image by Pezibear from Pixabay
• Sunlit Path image by Valiphotos from Pixabay