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.

But if we come to God, feeling helpless and dependent, as we really
are, and in humble, trusting faith make known our wants to Him… He
can and will attend to our cry… – Steps to Christ, pg. 97
A split second later, I knew where I was. Guns slammed into
the car as the gang demanded entry. A black van had been following
us for awhile with its headlights off. When the time felt right for them,
the vehicle turned on its lights, drove in front of us, and forced us to
slam on the breaks. My dad had no time to fully open his door before
he was grabbed and pulled violently past a ditch in the darkness off
the side of the road. They pulled him down by his head and yelled
several times: “No mires para arriba!” (“Don’t look up!”) Whether it was
his Caucasian appearance or 6’4” height, he was heavily targeted and
completely outnumbered. Five men in black, each armed with machine
guns and masks, surrounded him with their guns pushed against his
head. The men slowly backed up in a circle around him with every gun
aimed at him from all angles.
God doesn’t always let us know what’s next in our lives. At
times like these, we are prone to feel the lack of God’s presence, but
He is always beside us when we’re in trouble. There was nothing left
that my dad could do to fight them, so he surrendered everything to
God and trusted Him.
In the car, my sister and I sat in the back seat in terror as we
saw them take our parents out of the car. My mother was taken out
and robbed of her money, passport, and phone, along with all of my
dad’s belongings and ours. My mother feared for herself, but above
all, she feared the most for me and my sister. Living close to the
border of Mexico, we used to hear stories all the time about young
girls being kidnapped—girls who were rarely ever found again and
who were treated with cruelty and barbarity for years. My mother was
full of desperation. So, she prayed. She begged God to let her see us
die before her so that she would know our suffering would not go on.
Her thoughts were that having us taken away from her by a gang so
inhumane would be worse than death for us. Then she heard them yell
again: “Saquen a los niños!” (“Take the kids out!”)