Our Personal GPS

I went on a girl's trip to Seattle last weekend. I was meeting my sister there. We were staying in Redmond, and with all the cities in that urban area, I didn't really know where that was. Instead of using a map, I used our GPS system. On the way there, I plugged the address of the hotel we were staying at into the GPS and listened the whole way as the nice lady told me exactly which exits to take and places to turn until I heard, "You have arrived at your destination." I was marvelling at modern technology.

We had a lovely weekend and then it was time to drive back home. I put my home address in as the destination and off I went. Before too long, I found myself driving over the bridge across the Puget Sound heading directly into Seattle. That was the exact opposite direction from my home. I needed to be going east, not west! I did not go over that bridge to get to Redmond, so I furiously typed my home address in again. Again, she told me to stay on that road. I started arguing with the GPS lady telling her she did not know what she was talking about. After going across the bridge, she told me to take an exit that took me onto I-5 heading to Portland! Again, this was NOT the way I wanted to be going. At this point, I was about ready to turn it off and just try to turn around on my own accord, but I stuck with it for a couple more minutes. Finally, I saw a sign that said Bellevue/Spokane and she told me to get off on that exit. I was heading over a different bridge and now was definitely heading in the right direction. I was still able to make it to my destination from her instructions.

I had so many spiritual applications fill my mind and I really felt Heavenly Father was trying to tell me something I needed to hear. He is our personal GPS system. Sometimes He takes us on a route in life that we did not expect or want. Maybe that was not the direction we would have chosen, but He knew that would be the best route for us to take. It may not be the easiest or most direct route, but it is the one He has in mind for us. If we will trust in His voice to lead us and direct us, we will still arrive at the right destination. While we're on the journey, we may not be able to see the whole picture of how we'll get there, but in hindsight, I'm sure we will marvel at His hand in our lives. But, if we turn our GPS off, like I almost did....how much more difficult will the journey be?