It’s no secret to anyone who knows me – or has driven with me – or has heard me try to speak intelligently about all things geographical or cartographical (?)….that directions really aren’t my “thing.” Before Google maps and GPS (remember Garman?) I would print hard copies of Map Quest directions and hold them with a death grip in my left hand while driving with my right, all the while making sure the map was faced in the direction I was headed. And before that there were those big fold-out maps that you left in your glove compartment, which did little for me but remind me how lost I was!  So believe me when I say I am a big proponent of all the gadgets that speak to me and tell me which way to turn ahead of time and even which lane to be in to be ready for the next turn. I love it!

So I’ve got driving covered, but in other areas I still, shall we say….struggle? The entire time we were in Israel I was confused about north and south. Israel isn’t a big country, and to look at a map it made perfect sense to me….until I wasn’t looking at the map! It didn’t help when our guide explained that Jerusalem is at a higher elevation than the places around it, so when the Bible says people went “up to Jerusalem” they could have actually been north, traveling south, to go up! (Ok….so that just hurts.)

I can’t tell you how many times while we were there I asked Tom if the Red Sea was north or south (but I bet he could!) It didn’t help my case any that every time we left our hotel room….Every. Single. Time….I took a step right before remembereing the elevators were to the left. I would walk out the door first, head to the right and hear Tom say, “Shellie?” before he’d start cracking up. I choose to believe it was an endearing laugh. =)

I’ve come to accept my directionally-challenged self and actually have some fun with it, especially now that my car tells me when to turn. And I also take comfort that God, who created me and knows me better than I know myself, also knows just how to lead me where I need to go. It’s easy to keep taking the same paths we always have, especially when we’ve established a pattern (like turning right when the elevator is left!). And it’s also easy to get lost when we lose our directional bearings.  I’ve certainly been lost….and I also know the relief and comfort of being found. As we journey together through this season, I think it’s a good idea to ask God about the direction we’re headed. Maybe it’s time to turn down a different path or seek a new view. Or maybe it’s just time to be open to the possibilities that we can’t even imagine yet.

I do know this; whichever way we choose and wherever we may go, we are never alone. God is ever-present and ever-determined to love us through each and every turn, and already knows what’s up ahead. There is such comfort in that! I’ve done a lot of wandering the last few years….and I think it’s time to be led.

Blessed to be on the journey with you,

Shellie ♥