I’m a Lewis Carroll fan.
He’s best remembered as the author of Alice In Wonderland, but he was also a mathematician who incorporated a good deal of logical argument into his writing. I used a lot of his writing in math lessons; Humpty Dumpty, The Mad Hatter, and The Queen Of Hearts always inspired curiosity.
As I think about future directions for the FREEDOM TOUR and how we can build a community and support the kids at the Home Of Hope, I’m reminded of an interaction between two other well-known Carroll characters.
One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree.
“Which road do I take?” she asked.
“Where do you want to go?” was his response.
“I don’t know,” Alice answered.
“Then,” said the cat, “it doesn’t matter.”
Alice was eager to get going, but the Cheshire Cat offered timeless wisdom.
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As I said last time, Alice didn’t have a planning problem. She had a purpose problem.
I’m stuck on this idea because our team’s in the “we gotta get stuff figured out” stage. Lots of details, easy to get lost in the weeds and frustrated with the whole notion of planning.
I’m always anxious to get going, check stuff off the list before there’s even a list. But I notice that if I go back to basics, if I keep the Cheshire Cat’s question in mind, the process assumes a sense of clarity and peace.
I think that’s not about a silly grinning cat. I think it’s about listening and letting Jesus do His thing in those quiet spaces. I think it’s about God’s promise to grant wisdom – if I ask.
If we encounter a grinning Cheshire Cat and he asks, “Where do you want to go?” we know the answer.
We’re doing this to build a community that supports kids rescued from human trafficking.
The right road is whatever moves us in that direction.