From the outside, in our world of five-year plans and goal-setting and ladder-climbing, wandering looks aimless, restless, wasteful, even lazy. And it certainly can be. But wandering can also be purposeful—a form of intentional surrender aimed at letting the ego take a back seat and allowing God to guide us.

Sometimes God speaks by slamming doors in our faces or setting our hearts ablaze with an undeniable desire, but more often I find he speaks in whispers and nudges that are all too easy to miss.