Finding My Way

Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life,
no man cometh to the Father, but by me. John 14:6

I have a confession to make.

I am directionally challenged. I can easily get lost in a mall, forget the way to my car in the parking lot, and would never be caught in a new locale without my GPS.

Just yesterday, I was on the way to my new home and found that the usual road on which I travel was closed. My GPS could not pick up a signal and I found myself detoured, lost in an unknown neighborhood. I called my husband who had access to Google maps and had him help me maneuver and find my way.

“What direction are you heading, Angie?” he asked.

“I dunno. It’s noon and the sun is straight overhead. How am I supposed to know?” I answered.

My husband, on the other hand, has a gifted sense of direction. I used to joke that I could blindfold him, spin him around, and he could automatically point north. As a firefighter he had to know every street and route to make it to emergency calls. Now, as a helicopter pilot, it is imperative that he knows directionality for cross countries and even be able to navigate through zero visibility flight conditions.

Just months ago, before a big move to our new home, I had a recurring dream of being on an expressway and coming upon a mix-master, a spaghetti bowl of entrances and exits. I would always awake with a panicked feeling of not knowing which road to take. I suppose it wouldn’t be too difficult to interpret that particular dream.

Recently, I have been amused at my eight-year-old son who has taken up collecting compasses. They are more than just little trinkets to him. I watch as he takes each one outside, turn, and find his way through an imaginary obstacle course, obviously predisposed to follow in his father’s footsteps.

Oh that I would always follow in my Father’s footsteps. How I need Holy Spirit to cut through emotions, my flesh which seeks to walk by sight, and the unknown. I pull out the compass of His word. It lights the path before me. Whether [I] turn to the right or to the left, [my] ears will hear a voice behind [me], saying, “This is the way; walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21).