Refill with Randy – Direction, Not Intention, Determines Your Destination

By Randy LeBaron

Good morning! Grab your favorite cup. Fill it up. And let’s start this year right… TOGETHER!!!

I hope that you had a Merry Christmas and are on your way to a very Happy New Year! With that in mind I wanted to share a story from back in June 1999, I had just started my new life with my new wife which included our honeymoon in Cancun, MX. Outside of Canada this would be my first time traveling to another country and I was excited to share this adventure with Sheryl. Beyond a few initial glitches, since Sheryl had booked everything beforehand using her maiden name I was called Mr. Smout throughout our stay, we had a great time.

Beyond being able to enjoy the beautiful pools at our resort we ate well and made our mark on the sand volleyball court. We also went on some excursions which were included in our package. When it came time to choose which ones we would be doing Sheryl, a lover of all things beach and ocean, chose snorkeling around a coral reef and spending the day relaxing by the beautiful blue water of Xpuha. I, on the other hand, having watched Jaws way too many times as a kid chose to stay inland and explore the ancient Mayan ruins of Chichén Itzá.

We started with the snorkeling adventure which began with us and a number of other couples each taking a small motorboat an hour out into the ocean to where the reef was. Having never driven a boat before it was an exhilarating experience outside of Sheryl screaming because she thought we were going to flip over (I only know one speed). Once we arrived and got in the water however the scary part for me began. Having never snorkeled before it was going to be sink or swim for me because once my face went into that water it wasn’t coming out whether I could breathe or not. Our entire time there I scanned the depths non-stop but thankfully never once saw a shark. I did swim over one while snorkeling this past summer but that’s another story.

The next outing was to Chichén Itzá where we learned a lot about the Mayan culture, tried some roadside tacos (our guide revealed afterward that chicken was scarce, so it was most likely lizard meat that we had eaten), and climbed to the top of The Temple of Kukulcán (El Castillo). It was a good day but also a very hot and tiring day which is why when we showed up for our final excursion, an afternoon on the beach at Xpuha, Sheryl wasn’t feeling well and decided she had better take a nap.

Between being bored, feeling a bit invulnerable since I had already courageously survived snorkeling, and because the water was so clear you could see quite a distance, I decided to take my chances and rent an inflatable mat which I used to float on. I was a bit hesitant at first but soon enough I had given in to the relaxing motion of the ocean and all but fell asleep as I stared out into the endless horizon with neither land nor a boat in sight.

This went on for a while before I began to hear shouting behind me from a distance. As I groggily turned over to face the beach I suddenly realized that I was nowhere near shore. Every time the mat had gently rolled over a small wave I had drifted further and further out to sea and had no idea because without a fixed point there wasn’t any way to know that I had moved even a little let alone a lot.

As I quickly assessed the situation a different type of panic set in, I couldn’t understand a lot of what the locals were shouting at me in Spanish but even under duress I recognized when they started yelling “Shark!” I don’t know how I swam back to shore as quick as I did but if there was a shark in the vicinity it probably got pushed aside by my wake. In the end I was all too happy to be back getting an earful from my new bride who had gone to sleep and woke up worried she might never me again.

The reality is that I did not intentionally choose to float out into dangerous waters and had I been laying the opposite direction looking at the shore I would have been able to see the second I was starting to drift and would have maneuvered myself back to safety at once. So, my question to you dear reader is, “What are you focusing on as you prepare to begin a New Year in 2025?”  As I just proved, it’s too easy to not focus on anything and simply drift along, ending up where you really don’t want to be. However, by setting goals and finding a fixed point to focus on you can start moving in the direction of where you want to be by year’s end

In his book, Principle of the Path, Andy Stanley makes a great observation which is that “Direction, Not Intention, Determines Your Destination.”  Good intentions may be helpful when making New Year’s Resolutions, which will most likely be forgotten by February, but if you really want to start becoming who who you are called to be then direction is key. Simply put… you need to figure out where you are, figure where you want to go, and then decide one thing you could do to start moving in that direction. Then do it.

See you in 2 weeks!

Pastor Randy