After checking out of the hotel (Omni, no less, attached to the Circle Center mall-WOW! What a mall!) We decided we HAD to have a Starbucks “no water Chai, extra Chai and soy, extra hot” for me; same for Vicky except iced! I turned on my trusty Magellan GPS, clicked on “POI” (you know, “points of interest”), entered Starbucks, hopped on I-70 just as Gertrude (that’s what I used to call her! What I call her now is not allowed on this blog!) instructed, and went to the appropriate exit. Seeing a sign for Cracker Barrel made us realize we must eat before the 5-hour drive home, so we went there first, followed by a round the world trip to a Starbucks for our necessary Chai Lattes! Gassed up, buckled in, and ready to go.
I again turned “Gertie” on, hit our home address and touched “Most use of freeways”! Who calls them “freeways” anyway? They are interstates where I’m from! So let me briefly abbreviate…
Followed the directions…
…drive for an hour…
…felt like it didn’t look right…
…reset Gertie, shows same directions…
…keep driving another 30-minutes…
…see a freaking “Welcome to Illinois” sign…
…are you kidding me?!?!?!...
…($&%((*#)(Y#_***^#&*#**!!!!!!...
…take the next exit, pull over on shoulder and reset Gertie again, this time showing
“fastest route”…
…same ole same ole-says we are due home in 9 hours! RIGHT!...
…Vicky suggests I put her address in and see---same directions but arrive
Home 3 hours earlier…she lives 10 minutes from me!...
…$_(*&#*&$$^(%*$&_(**!!!!!..
…Called hubs and asked him to get out a real map…novel idea!...
…he does, tells me to turn around, go 2 exits and take state route 46…
…I do so; guess what! A 10,000 mile garage sale on both sides of road…
…ok, so that’s an exaggeration, but not by much!...
…slow going, finally clears….
…until road construction....
…UNBELIEVABLE!...
…hurry up and wait!...
…90 miles later a sign for I-65 S! HURRAY!...
…too late to go to son’s performance…
…arrive home and tell hubs to put Gertie under back tire so I can
back over her a few times and crush her to smithereens!
Spiritual implications? Absolutely! How often do I get comfortable depending on my own resources to get me through any situation? I hear the voices in my head telling me which way to go, how to respond, when to and not to act, etc. I've got it all under control! Until...it all falls down around me. Then what do I do? I go to the only true source of directions for my life, the one and only guidebook, the Word of God, where there are words of guidance no matter the situation I may be in. When and IF I will seek those out, I will have the "right way" before me, and life will be so much easier and much more fulfilling! See, God desires to be my Guide, but I must get out of His way, invite Him in, and truly relinquish control to Him. Not 99.9% but 100% control given over to Him, trusting by faith (not by sight) that He will take me where He wants me, safely, and bless my socks off in the process! Do you want to know which path to take? Seek His Word. Want to stay on the right path? Stay in His Word! God's Word is our GPS for life...and it never needs updating, it doesn't quit working, it doesn't sometimes take us to wrong places...it's timeless and true!