THE Way! the truth! the life!

Every educator is taught the essential practice of backward planning. Backward planning, sometimes called backward mapping, begins by identifying the skill, understanding, or learning outcome students are expected to achieve by the end of a lesson or unit. Once the end goal is clear, the educator determines the instruction, texts, activities, and experiences necessary to help students reach it.

When considering difficulty, complexity, and instructional activities, backward planning requires the educator to keep the expected end in view. The goal determines the way. Anything that does not contribute meaningfully to the desired outcome may need to be reconsidered or removed.

What if we considered our Christian walk in a similar way?

As believers in the Gospel, Jesus is our expected end. Everything we are as believers rests upon the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. By faith, covered by grace, and motivated by love, we are called to follow Him and become more like Him.

Jesus said,

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
—John 14:6

In our faith, we have not only been given an expected end; we have also been given the Way.

In other words, our backward-planning work has already been done! The plan has been laid before us. We do not have to guess which direction leads to the Father. We do not have to create our own path or figure out the way on our own.

Jesus is the Way.

Much like the classroom, the One who establishes the end also establishes the way to reach it. When Jesus is the Way, Proverbs 3:5–6 becomes a beautiful reminder for our journey:

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

The destination is not ours to invent, and the path is not ours to create.

Jesus is the Way.
Jesus reveals the Truth.
Jesus gives us Life.
And Jesus leads us to the Father.

So, when you are unsure which way to go, begin with the end in mind.

Look to Jesus.

Follow Jesus.

Trust Jesus.

Receive Jesus today—and allow Him to direct your path.

@Christian-bychoice @teaching4liberation