GPS (God's Protection Service)

I am directionally challenged. I admit it. And I'm not ashamed. 

There was a time, years ago, when I desired to tackle this weakness of mine. So I enlisted the help of my "very directionally UN-challenged" husband. He enjoyed quizzing me as we'd drive down city streets and he'd casually ask "are we going North or South?" He'd try to educate me with little tidbits like "the sun rises in the east and sets in the west." After a while, I accepted the fact that I simply prefer to rely on mapquest, navigator and/or the cadillac of all systems - GPS - to get me to where I was going.

Panic On the Highway

However, I realized that just like human beings, an apparatus created to help direct you can sometimes fail and  get you lost anyways. This past weekend, I took my daughter to a basketball tournament about 50 minutes away. My husband normally drives us, but because he had another obligation, I was the traveling pilot for the day. Although I had heard of the city we needed to be in (Peshtigo) and knew it was not too far away, I still had no idea what direction we were to go once we left our driveway.

My handy-dandy navigating system got us started in the right direction. All was fine until about 30miles in. There was a fork in the highway, and my navigator decided to lock up. The last direction I remembered seeing was 'exit 192a' and 'follow to Crivitz/Marinette'. What caused me great doubt was when the fork to the left said 'crivitz' and the fork to the right said 'marinette'. What????? I made a quick decision and stayed right, because to go left was taking exit '187', and I hadn't come upon 192 yet.

As I drove,  daughter fast asleep in seat next to me, I saw signs that let me know 3 different cities were ahead. None of which were Peshtigo!  Panic quietly set in, as I realized her game started in 20 minutes. Further doubt crept in to my already-panicked mind as I came upon exits 195, 196, and 197!.  Where on earth was exit 192??

Thankfully, in a final ditch effort, I called another parent who was already at the gym. To my utter surprise, it turned out I WAS going the right direction and he verbally gave me directions to our destination.  We got there in just the nick of time.  Whew! 

Lesson learned:  have a back up plan (i.e. map quest directions) and worst case scenario - know how to read a map!

Not Afraid to Venture Out

This little incident brought back a memory of a time 2 years ago, when I was alone in Denver Colorado for a weeklong training event.  I got a rental car and a nifty GPS unit that came along with it. This experience was completely opposite to the one mentioned above.

I am an explorer by nature; I will seek out adventure - even when I'm by myself - simply because I believe "I may never pass this way again." So after my 5 day training wrapped up, I chose to venture out to a place I had read about in a magazine called "Red Rock Amphitheatre".  My GPS told me I'd be there in about 25 minutes; my expedition had begun.

During the week of training, I had driven back and forth from the hotel to the training site,and to different restaurants during the week where I had met friends from back home (who now resided near Denver). Each trip was a piece of cake, as I trusted the GPS to get me to where I was going. It was slick! And, dare I say it, I think I looked like a native of the city as I drove with efficient ease.  No fears. No worries. My little rented device was reliable and never steered me wrong. 

So here I am, all alone on Denvers 7 lane highway, pedal to the metal and feeling confident as I headed to the mountains.The thrill of seeking a new adventure was as exciting to me as checking out a new rollarcoaster ride at an amusement park.  I got to the amphitheatre and, my oh my, was it GLORIOUS!  I remember feeling so thankful for venturing out here on my own, and not being afraid to do so. I might have missed this magnificent place!

God's Protection Service

It occurs to me,  that it's like that with God.  When we have complete faith and trust in Him, He will help us navigate through lifes twists and turns, and get us back on track when we try to go our own way, and take a detour.  Trusting God and having faith in Him, does not mean there will never be roadblocks. But we can rest assure that His Word is the ultimate best as far as giving us directions in life. Most of us will make wrong turns, or go down roads that we were never meant to travel.  But if we surrender ourselves back in to God's care, He will re-route us in the direction that gets us to where our true purpose in life is. So -  no longer do I refer to a gps as a "global positioning system" but rather "God's Protection Service"  to remind myself that He is the true direction in my life.  His battery will never fail,  His system will never lock up and His "model" will never become outdated.   I can trust Him.  I don't have to doubt when the road signs don't make sense.  And as far as adventure goes, Life with Him is the wildest ride I've ever had!