Do you need a GPS?

“Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.” (Psalms 119:35)

Imagine this.... Stopping to get gas in unfamiliar territory, finding yourself on a one way street heading in the opposite direction from where you need to go. It's rush hour. The intersections are busy with preoccupied drivers, and everyone knows where they are going, except for you. Lane changes are out of the question. A series of wrong turns deepens your plight, and you soon realize there is no getting back to the exact point where you first made the wrong move.

But then you remember your GPS. Unused and unplugged, it's hidden beneath the passenger’s seat, just waiting to be asked the question, “How do I get back on the right path?”

Our spiritual lives are similar to this. A few ill advised steps to the right or the left quickly turn into massive detours; unplanned and full of obstacles. But we keep moving, never recognizing how lost we are until we finally stop to look back. We no longer recognize our surroundings. Unintentionally perhaps, but because of our own choices, we left the people who once traveled with us far behind.

But just like the GPS underneath the passenger’s seat, there lies the Bible, just waiting to be asked the question, “How do I get back on the right path?”

A GPS and a Bible only point me in the right direction when I choose to use them. Many might say my Bible is filled with nothing but rules. But I know better. If I follow what it recommends, I will make fewer mistakes. I will hurt less. My family and loved ones will hurt less. My Bible tells me to embrace life; to “go, and sin no more.”

The GPS tells me to make a U-turn. Stop following this path that leads in the opposite direction from where I want to end up. “Turn around when possible,” it cautions repeatedly.

They both recognize the dangers of being lost and alone. Thank goodness.

Dear God,

Sometime I make the wrong turn. I am slow to realize what happened and why. But I thank you for never giving up on me. I thank you for creating a path just for me that will lead to eternity. I pray that you give me the strength to follow. I thank you for the Bible, our GPS systems, and for each other. All are needed for this journey.

In the name of Jesus I pray! AMEN!