I admit it… I have little to no sense of direction when I am navigating from one place to another. I lose my car in parking lots which is why I typically will park near some landmark like a lamppost, or a cart return stall. Getting lost causes me great anxiety as I like to be in control and know exactly what’s going on. If I had to navigate from point A to point B using a paper map or atlas, I would be in some serious trouble, and so would those who would be traveling with me. It is for these very reasons I thank God for GPS. I love having Siri tell me, turn by turn on how to arrive safely to my destination.
Can you envision a time where maps may not have even been available and you had to navigate miles, on foot or horseback, while using the environment to direct you? Perhaps you’ve taken a wrong turn and traveled for miles without realizing you were going in the wrong direction or wound up on a wrong street, in a wrong town? (Guilty!) I then think of the story in Exodus when the Israelites wandered for 40 years in the desert wilderness, navigating a distance of only around 250 miles. They were without direction, hence wandering and in a sense lost. They wandered for decades without God’s direction in their lives.
When we try to go our own way in life, we usually screw things up. We think we know it all and can do it all, that’s when we usually lose our way. We start following our own agendas and fail to follow God’s. We may even travel down a path for years without repercussions, before we find our way back to Him and follow His direction. Truth is, He knows the way because He created it all. Why wouldn’t we want to follow the Creator of the way? Would you trust the person who designed a highway to know where it leads to? Would you argue with them if they told you it traveled from East to West if you wanted it to go North? Probably not, because you really didn’t know because you didn’t create the road. So, why not trust the Creator of your life to give you directions on the best way to go?
When we face obstacles, He will make a way through them, just like He did when He split the sea for the Israelites, allowing them to cross safely on dry ground (Exodus 14:21-22). He knows the safest and most direct route for your life and wants the best for you. He is the navigation for our souls and He will never abandon or forsake us when we wander or lose our way. He will patiently await for us to backtrack back to Him so that He can lead us the right way.
Today I give thanks for His direction in my life. He has led me through the wilderness where I had no other sense of direction. He has been a guiding light for me in some very dark times as there were times when I had to put on the brakes and do a whole U-turn. I am also thankful for His provision of my Siri GPS, or else I may still be lost and wandering in some other place; without direction, anxious, and fearful of where I may end up. Where is He steering you?
Here are some great resources to help you As you Start on your journey:
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.” -John 14:6
Blessed are those whose ways are blameless who walk according to the law of the Lord. -Psalms 119:1
Your word is a lamp for my feet a light on my path. – Psalms 119:105
The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand. – Psalms 37:23-24
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. -Psalms 32:8
I leave you with a quote from one of my favorite movies growing up which lends it own witty take on making a wrong turn in life: “The way forward is sometimes the way back.” (The wise man. Labyrinth, 1986.) It’s OK to make mistakes and take wrong turns in life. We all do. Just allow the GPS for your soul to recalculate and reroute you back to your creator. He will get you where you need to go….
I would love to hear your thoughts on this and how God may be directing you. You’re journey starts here and you don’t have to navigate it alone. Contact me today and Let’s get Started. After all, baby steps forward are still steps in the right direction.