I found myself travelling for the first time in years without my husband as my chauffeur. This was a spur of the moment trip where I packed up my little car for my daughter and I to shuffle on up the road six hours back “home” to where most of my family and friends are. My husband was working the weekend, so it seemed like a good time to run on up and visit some of the people I haven’t seen in the past nearly four months since we moved to the beach. I felt somewhat organized considering I had only decided about eighteen hours before that this was my plan for the weekend. Before my husband left for work Friday morning, he suggested I take our GPS with me, even though I thought I knew my planned route. So mid-day, I ventured out with my toddler in tow, armed with a fully charged iPhone, MP3 player, and Tom-Tom.
I used to be an enraged driver, flipping out over anyone who cut me off or tried to pass me, but that was before Jesus took the wheel. I totaled my car just over six years ago in what I consider my salvation moment. Ever since, I have been the most defensive and alert driver you will encounter. I think this is why my husband insists on driving everywhere when we are together.
It’s not so fun having me as a side seat driver, worrying over every swerve of any vehicle around. But this time, I had even more precious cargo on board with my daughter in her car seat sleeping most of the way. I was coasting along listening to my music and trying to breathe as calmly as possible and praying for peace on our trip. Then, out of nowhere, my GPS alerted me that there was an alternate route that was eight minutes faster and I caved into the temptation by clicking OK. I am not the best at multi-tasking while behind the wheel (and I am not sure that any of us should really be trying to multi-task while driving anyway) so when I realized it was trying to take me on the back roads of North Carolina where I would likely have no cell service and be even more lost than I already felt, I decided to just continue up the main highway and hope that Tom-Tom would recalculate my route.
My recalculated route ended up taking me about 40 miles out of the way. I was lost with a GPS. I had trusted this piece of technology over my own sense of direction and planned route. I was a nervous wreck when I arrived at my destination and had stressed myself so much that I was shaking.
Then I realized the symbolism. God is our Provider. He is our Compass. He is our Planner. We have so many distractions and temptations begging for our attention daily, and if we’re not careful we can so easily get turned around and lost before we even realize it. We are going to make mistakes. We are going to take a wrong turn here and there. But ultimately, we have to learn and pay attention to the way He is guiding and leading us. The only way to do that is to stay in His Word, and continually pray about every choice and decision He would have us make. And if we choose wrongly, and go our own way for a time, we need to look to Him to recalculate our route. Sometimes that means waiting, continuing on blindly, trusting that He will speak in His time.
There are times and seasons in our lives where we will question if we have made the right choices, taken the right turn, but as long as we keep praising and seeking Him in the process we cannot go wrong. God wants our trust. He wants our devotion. He wants our heart. All of it all the time. Don’t let the world tell you that you’re wrong, or that you need to speed up and follow the crowd. The Only One you need to follow will guide you away from the chaos. Look up and keep your eyes pointed to The Son.
Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Psalm 27:13-14
13 I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.
About the Author :
Emilee Lowe is a Christ following wife and mother who lives in Wilmington, North Carolina. She is a former hair stylist who is committed to being used by God in whatever way He sees fit.
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