Maps Are Good

A few years ago the Mrs. and I were in Atlanta with her brother and his wife. My brother-in-law was driving, I was riding shotgun and the ladies taking the chauffeured positions in the back. We left an event and being unfamiliar with the area we got lost. The area we were in did not seem to be the friendliest and there was a consensus not to stop and get directions. No need to worry though, we had a map in the glove compartment.

Now I do not wish to boast on myself, but I have mad skills where map reading is concerned. I also do well with blueprints and schematics, but that's another story. Anyway, I locate some street signs and determine from the map the direction we need to go in order to get to our desired location. I relayed this information to the driver. Problem solved...

Not so fast. My sister-in-law determined that the directions I gave were not in our best interest. She believed that going in a different direction was better. How did she know? Did she have personal knowledge of the area? Did she have a map? Did she have some information of which we were not aware? So many questions and frankly answers to none.

My brother-in-law is now in the hot seat. He has to make a decision that is going to affect/effect (I type you decide) our immediate future. Should he take the information that is on the map as reliable and choose to follow its direction or does he listen to what his wife believes. Sadly, he's screwed either way. To make a long story short, I put the map away and we drove around for about another hour before making it back to our hotel.

Before you start laughing at my brother-in-law you must know that I was in that driver's seat for most of my life. Not literally, but figuratively...

I was taking direction from the world on how I should live my life and not from the one who created me and life itself. This decision had me driving around in circles and getting nowhere. My God provided a map for me and I chose to ignore it for many a year. His map for me and direction for my life is in His Word, the Bible. Thankfully, his patience for me knows no ends and he was there when I finally asked for help.

I've been following his directions for over 1o years now and have arrived at a number of destinations that He prepared for me. Those destinations include...

Peace... Love... Joy...

I'm grateful He has more for me and with His help I won't miss a single turn.