Wanda, our new mini-van, has a built in GPS navigational system. Never having one of these before (I typically just rely on my husband) I've enjoyed experimenting a bit. The advent of the computerized, digitized, satellite-ized navigational system has proved ample fodder for Christian devotional writers and bloggers. There are just so many places you can take it. For instance, Greta (I got to name the GPS. I chose Greta, as in Garbo, as in not a Garmin) begins each journey with the admonition to "Follow the road." For me, this brings to mind Isaiah 40:3: prepare the way for the LORD [a] ; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Or Matthew 7:13: Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
Yet, perhaps my favorite aspect of Greta is her "Where Am I Now?" button. This always makes me chuckle, not in some sort of self confident "I always know where I am" way, but because I can't go anywhere new without getting lost at least once. I actually allow at least a half hour getting lost time whenever I go to a new destination! It is inevitable, like needing to budget for gas or bringing Cheetos to snack on. The best getting lost experience I had took us to Georgia when we should have been crossing the border into North Carolina. It was dark, my sister and I were in one car, my mom and a family friend in another. We had stopped to eat at a little cafe in the middle of nowhere. When asking the waiter for directions back to the highway and to the North Carolina border, he told us to follow the road over a couple of mountains and then we'd be there. Really, that was it. Go over a couple of mountains. So we drove over a couple of mountains. As time went on, I noticed that there were more and more Georgia license plates on the road. I think I even made a comment to my sister that there seemed to be a lot of Georgians going to N.C. that night. Then all of a sudden, out of the darkness appeared a giant peach, lit up with the words, "Welcome to Georgia--the Peach State!" I think we stopped for the night. A "Where Am I Now?" button would have come in handy before we crested the first mountain, I think.
As Christians, I think we are in need of a "Where Am I Now?" button for our soul journeys, too. It's good to stop and get our bearings every once in awhile. There is a song by Sara Groves called "How is it Between Us?" in which she talks about the need to check in with God before the start of a new day to see where she is and how she's doing. To steal a line from Ferris Bueller, life moves pretty fast. If we're not careful, we can get lost in the midst of it wondering, "Where am I?" and "How did I get here?". More importantly, "How do I get back?" In those moments, we need to turn to our own navigational system. We need to dig into God's word, pour out our hearts to God, and pray for the Spirit's discernment and the wisdom to see it. Thy Word, O Lord, is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Ps. 119:105.
When we push our spiritual "Where Am I Now?" button, God, not Greta, comes to our rescue. God, who is infallible, who always has map data verified in every part of our lives, who is the one from whom all roads came and to which all roads will return. God, the creator of the heavens and the earth, the restorer of souls, the great "I AM" will shepherd us through the unfamiliar territory back onto sure and solid ground. I will guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. Pv. 4:11 I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. I will not forsake them. Is. 42:16 He has come to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace. Luke 1:79
So, how's your nav system working for you today? Do you know where you are? Take some time today to find out, and let me know how it goes.
Blessings and Peace,
Sara
No comments:
Post a Comment