Proverbs 3:5-8 NIV

⁵Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.^[a]

⁷ Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.
⁸ This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.

Potentially Controversial Admission:

I love GPS devices.

I do not believe that they are secretly tracking my every move.

And if they are, my life is not that deep.

By all means, NSA, come with me to church.

And if you need something at Trader Joe’s I can pick it up for you: the Teeny Tiny Avocadoes are on me.

I also do not have personal navigation pride.

I have no internal sense of direction. At any given moment, I am a left turn away from chaos.

And sure, in a pinch, I can navigate for myself.

But the GPS allows me to not have to think about stuff.

I have a million things on my mind at any given moment.

I have creative work I want to do.

I have plans that need addressing.

I have stuff I shouldn’t be ruminating on that I nonetheless am.

So I am happy to follow the gospel according to Google Maps.

Lori is not.

She is a veteran navigator who always knows “a better route.”

She always has a sense of the wrong time to be on certain roads.

And while I try to get her to sign off on the route before we go, delays bring trouble

And this is where the disputes occur.

We go back and forth because she says “this is the slowest route possible!”

And I insist that she doesn’t know it’s the slowest because she’s not on any of the other routes, and if the GPS told us not to take them today, I’m trusting that there’s a reason.

I don’t necessarily always pass this standard with God.

Sometimes the quickest route seems like it’s right in front of me.

I pray to get God to sign off on my plans.

And He doesn’t.

And I question. I worry. I grumble. I lament.

I may even refer back to my original plans.

And not once have I ever seen God take my advice.

The truth my own understanding is limited, and flimsy, and will not hold my weight, much less anyone else’s.

My paths are convoluted, and twisted, and involve way too many turns.

The wisdom of my eyes is myopic at best, kaleidoscopic on occasion, and blind at worst.

And following it will probably lead to some broken bones.

Today, I’m grateful for guidance based in things I cannot see.

I am thankful God tracks my every move.

I don't always know where to find the best avocados.

But I’m looking to stay on the road.

(Photo Credit: Pixabay - 33488)

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