Are you going MY way?

Recently, I met one of my dear friends and sister-in-Christ for breakfast. We went back and forth deciding on a place we'd like to go. She named off a place I had never heard of and after looking it up, I decided I'd love to try it. I reached out to her the day before we were scheduled to meet, seeing if we were still good to go. The morning of, I sent her a text to let her know I was on my way. We've done several things together with others in church settings, but never one-on-one outside of church. We were both excited to be able to do this. She's about 10 years younger than me, and we have similar interests in common. She is a sweet lady that has so much insight to offer, and I just love to talk with her and hear her perspective on things. After sending that text, I got ready and headed out the door. I knew the vicinity of where this little breakfast café was but wasn't certain how to get there.

Are you all like me when it comes to using your GPS? I depend on it for EVERYTHING. Even if I know where I'm going, I use it because it can let you know the quickest route, especially if there's a traffic delay. I put the address in my GPS and headed in that direction. I turned up my tunes and was enjoying the ride, that is, until I decided to not listen to my GPS and turned off on a street that I thought would be a shortcut. “Maybe GPS didn't take this into consideration. I'm sure it'll be quicker since I'm well-versed in driving in this area and know all the shortcuts.”

When I got a little further on that road, I saw all of this backed-up traffic. It was school traffic, and I got stuck in that line. I quickly sent her a text to let her know I'd be a little late, AFTER I had already asked if we could meet sooner. I thought, “This sweet lady is gonna think I'm nuts.” As I was slowly working my way through this school traffic, I started thinking about how if I had just listened to the GPS, I would have taken the route that would have avoided these obstacles and gotten there directly and on time.

That initial thought led me to another thought: isn’t that very similar to how we are with God? We know we are better off listening to Him and going on the path that He clearly laid out for us, but just like we do with the GPS, sometimes we have to buck the system and venture out in a different direction, thinking we know a better way. I called my friend after having this thought and told her I was finally out of this madness, and the epiphany I had about the correlation between GPS and God, and trying to do things our own way. We both laughed. I told her maybe she could use that in a sermon one day.

Imagine how much less stressed we'd be if we just listened and followed Him without trying to think our way is better. I hope the next time you use your GPS, you think of this story, and it helps you listen to Him a little better.

Proverbs 3:5–6 (NKJV)
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”