Charted

What is Charted?

Like a master surveyor, Jesus gives us clear directions to find a fulfilling, purpose-filled relationship with Himself - a map to the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Charted is a daily devotional written by the junior class at Fountainview Academy (Class of 2019). Based on the book Steps to Christ, this book explores the path to the Originator and Provider of Genuine Joy. We don't have to be confused about the way. The certainty is in the journey: divinely Charted.

Christians… are to reflect to the world the light shining upon them
from Christ. – Steps to Christ, pg. 115
The morning was sunny and bright, almost too bright. It was
as if somehow Mother Nature was mocking me, rubbing her happiness
in my face. Through the doorway bustled Grandma Patti, a smile
spreading across her face, putting the sun to shame. I ran into her
open arms, nestling into her warm embrace. In the back of my mind, I
sensed an unfamiliar feeling, like someone was hiding something from
me, afraid that I was too delicate to handle it. But I pushed the feeling
aside. Nothing would ever change; she would always be there for me,
and I knew that.
Only moments afterwards, I was informed of the inevitable.
At the tender age of eleven, I hardly grasped the concept of cancer.
Yes, people had died from it, but it could never happen to one of us;
this was just a passing sickness. When I first heard the news, a few
droplets escaped from my eyes, but full realization had not yet sunk in.
Three months later, her sickly form lay static on the stiff
hospital bed. Tubes were attached to her as if she was some scientific
experiment. Her skin was a shade of pale yellow, and her cheeks were
gaunt and hollow. Water gradually filled her lungs, forcing her breaths
to become more and more shallow. As I sunk to my knees, my eyes
met hers. Slowly, painfully, her lips curled into a smile for the last time
as she drew her final breath.
To watch my grandma die truly changed me forever. She
wasn’t just one of those distant relatives I never saw who either
ignored me or treated me like a baby. She was my friend, and I can
honestly say that she was the most Christ-like person I had ever met.
As I look back, I am mortified to admit the amount of times I took
her for granted. People come and people go. Sometimes we don’t
understand why certain people are taken from us while others are
left, but there is always a reason. My grandma’s death taught me an
important lesson: conclusions occur abruptly. The key is to capture
with both hands each precious, sparkling moment of life; until Jesus
comes, they won’t last forever.