My freshman year of college I moved in with my sister. She was the Children’s Minister at Southeast Christian Church. She had a two-bedroom apartment and I took the spare room! So I went one year to University of Louisville before transferring to UK.

My sister, her friend- Royce, and myself LOVED to travel! We were constantly on the move! Since Royce had the nicest car  – we always rode with her. Now Royce had NO directional sense! She could get lost in a parking lot! These were the days before GPS. We would decide to go to a Jazz Coffee House. Royce would tell us she knows where one is. Inevitably we would arrive to “said place” and nothing was there. She’d always say – “Hmm. They must have moved it!”. Apparently every place we wanted to visit that year had moved!! LOL!

Yesterday the family was driving home from a WONDERFUL weekend in Cincinnati.  After we stopped for gas – Momma Gigi moved up front so we could chat. We were talking about several things as we rode together. She told me that there is one thing that continues to baffle her.

She explained: You know in Haiti there is basically only one main road that goes from Port-au-Prince to the northwest coast. Each village may have several streets and paths but there’s only one major “high-way”! In the states there are SO MANY roads to choose from. There are so many paths available. How do you know which road to take? We drove 14 hours from Kentucky to New York. There were millions of roads. How did you decide the right one? 

I never really thought about it before. How many times do you just jump in your car and go? She’s been watching us time and time again and can’t figure out how we do that! I explained to her that for the most part – once I’ve traveled somewhere a few times – I simply memorized the roads to take. But when I go to a new place  – I enter the address into the GPS and it tells me step by step how to get there.

Her next question made me smile. She asked, “How does the GPS know how to get there?”  🙂 I explained to her how GPS works and how it tracks our car’s location. It knows exactly where we are at any given time. It guides us from where we are now to where we need to be.

She laughed and said, “Sounds like GPS is God”.

The conversation ended but I continued to think about her observation.

We have millions of paths to choose from. Personally speaking – it can be overwhelming some days to know which direction to go. Sometimes I’d rather ask my friends what they think – never realizing their sense of direction is often hindered. I may eventually arrive to “said place” – – but how much time did I waste in the process? Wouldn’t it have been easier if I had simply asked the GPS before putting the car in drive?

When we are lost – how easy is it to put our confidence in the stranger at the gas station as we ask for directions? How easy is it for us to rely on a machine to take OUR  PRECIOUS FAMILY where we need to go? (Even though many times the GPS is NOT correct).

We have a God who knows EXACTLY where we are. He knows the roads we took to get there. He knows the places where we veered off. He knows how to get us out of the parking lot! He has the step-by-step guide in the palm of His hand.

Yet when we are searching – and TRULY lost – why are we so afraid to ask God what that next step is? Are we afraid that His destination is not the place we were hoping to go? Or are we just unable to relinquish control of the wheel?

This whole conversation has left me pondering….who is truly guiding me?