“I really think we should have taken that exit a few miles back.”  It was the third call in about 5 minutes that I received from my son-in-law Matt as we drove to Destin, Florida.  We had already been driving for more than 11 hours and had just about an hour left.  Matt had Lauren and the girls in his car and I had Marta and Eric and Amanda in mine.  I did my best to assure him.  I told him, “I’ve got this!  We are right on track.  I rechecked the GPS app I’m using and we’re good.”  He said, “Okay” and hung up but he really didn’t sound convinced.  And I can’t say that I blame him.  I am directionally challenged and I get lost pretty easily when driving in unfamiliar places.  Members of my family and members of the church can all share stories about misadventures and missed exits that happened when they followed me on the road.  But for the last few years I have been using a GPS app on my phone and it has helped immensely.  It lines out your route, notifies you of potential hazards and gets you back on track if you do take a wrong turn.

With the extra guidance and direction we were able to make it safely to our destination.  After a couple of days in Destin, we caravanned into town for some shopping and some dinner.  I felt comfortable enough with the town that I did not use my GPS on the way back to the condo after dinner.  Mistake.  I took a few wrong turns and an early exit on the way back.  My son-in-law Matt did not follow me this time and he and the girls beat us back to the condo by several minutes.  When we finally arrived, Marta asked our six year old granddaughter Haley, “How come you beat us back and didn’t get lost?”  Haley quickly replied, “Cause we didn’t follow you!”  From the mouths of babes.

The whole thing reminds me of what the Bible says in Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”  That’s good counsel.  It’s good because I find that all of us can be directionally challenged in life sometimes.  We all need God to direct our path, to warn us of potential hazards and get us back on track when we take a wrong turn.  God wants to lead us and guide us.  He wants to keep us on the right path.  And He will do it if we let Him.