For me, the answer begins on June 17, 1984.
That was the day I accepted Christ during a week at Christian Retreat in Bradenton, Florida. I was young, but I still remember that moment as one of the defining turning points of my life. The world did not suddenly become easy. It did not suddenly become simple. But it did start to make more sense.
Faith gave me a way to understand life beyond what I could see on the surface.
Scripture tells us that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces. Once I began to see the world spiritually, I began to understand that so much of life is shaped by things deeper than personalities, circumstances, politics, arguments or bad days. There is a spiritual reality behind the visible one, and recognizing that has helped guide me ever since.
The man who led me to Christ was Billy Mayo, an evangelist from Chiefland, Florida. I only knew him for a week, but his preaching changed the course of my life.
Looking back, some of his message might seem dated now. His warnings about the evils of rock and roll probably sound archaic to modern ears. But on that day, what he said made incredible sense to me. When he juxtaposed AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” with Keith Green’s “Altar Call,” something opened up in me. It felt like the heavens opened. God’s call on my life seemed to crystallize.
That week has affected everything in my life since.
I would not live where I live. I would not be doing what I’m doing. I would not be with whom I’m with. I would not have Lizzi, Sullivan or soon-to-arrive Aurelia without taking that step of faith. So much of the life I know now traces back to that one week, that one decision, that one moment when Christ became more than an idea to me.
That does not mean I have always known exactly where I was going.
I still wonder whether I am getting things wrong. I still second-guess myself. I still have moments when I ask whether I am headed in the right direction. But I have always tried to do the right thing. I have tried to seek God’s will before moving forward. I have tried not to aim at nothing, because as my stepdad used to say, “He who aims at nothing is likely to hit it.”
That quote has stayed with me because direction matters. A life without direction does not usually drift into purpose. It drifts into whatever happens next.
Writing helps me with that, too.
I don’t know that there is one single writing moment that changed everything for me. It is more that writing unlocks things. It helps me think. It helps me pray. It helps me look beneath the surface of my own life and see what God may be trying to show me. Even writing this post gives me the opportunity to dig deeper into the spiritual and point myself back toward where the Lord wants me to be.
Philippians 4 gives me that same kind of direction. Rejoice. Be reasonable. Do not be anxious. Pray with thanksgiving. Think about what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent and worthy of praise. Practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
That is not just encouragement.
That is a map.
So what gives me direction in life?
Faith in Christ.
The memory of a young man hearing the Gospel in Bradenton and realizing that the world was bigger, deeper and more spiritual than he had understood.
The words of Scripture.
The people God has placed in my life.
The desire to aim at something that matters.
And the belief that, even when I cannot see the whole road, God still can.
Copyright © 2025 Doug DeBolt.
