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.

It is impossible for us, of ourselves, to escape from the pit of sin in
which we are sunken… There must be a power working from within, a
new life from above, before men can be changed from sin to holiness.
– Steps to Christ, pg. 18
“Mom, I can’t breathe.” I choked out my words, waving my
arms at the people gathered around the crackling fireplace. The feeling
of oxygen slowly being squeezed out of my lungs terrified me as I
frantically tried to gasp for air.
It was the middle of winter, and I lay in a daze on the couch
with a high fever and a rough cough. I had been sick for a while, but
that was nothing unusual. The laughter and chatter abruptly stopped
the second they spotted my dilemma. My mom and my uncle quickly
rushed to my side. The faces around me went fuzzy, and soon
darkness engulfed me.
When I woke up, I found myself at the hospital, taped to an IV,
with an oxygen mask hugging my mouth and nose. What in the world
just happened? I thought to myself.
The doctors informed me that I was allergic to smoke and
that the fumes from the fireplace had been choking me. This caused
my lungs to develop an infection, which led to severe pneumonia. For
days, I had been suffocating without even knowing it.
I am dying. I go about my day ignorant to the fact that I am
suffocating in sin. I live in a world polluted by evil, and I don’t even
realize that I am slowly losing my life to its influence. I play with fire
with every choice I make, letting its intoxicating fumes lead me away
from the Higher Power. I want to choose the Power that is able to lift
me away from the smoke and fill my lungs with the breath of life.