the map…

Recently my family and I went on a short road trip. We took the day to travel about two and half hours a way. My sister in law and her family met us at a science museum there and we spent the day together. The cousins played at the different exhibits and had a wonderful time.

Yes, our time there was very special ; we took great photos and made some fun memories. But, the night before when we were preparing to leave was not a hallmark of good family times. Its google map’s fault.  seriously. My husband went down to print the map and it showed completely different directions than what was on the museum’s website. Frustration ensued.

Michael called his sister – and she tried to give a bit of help. But we were mostly left to our own devices. After probably an hour, my husband felt as though he had sufficient information to get us to the museum. This included 6 pages of written directions from google and 8 pages of maps. When he finished it was late and we hit the hay, confident we would be able to find our destination in the morning.

Now, my husband is the driver and I’m the navigator. These are our assigned occupations on the trips we take. I don’t really mind being the navigator – I have a good sense of direction, sort of. But – I am terrible with maps. Especially these kinds of google maps. Not only was it 8 pages – its really 8 pages that should have been glued together somehow to make one big map. In my eagerness to discern the directions, I quickly leafed through the pages and managed to get them out of order. My husband who was prepared for this (remember these are our regularly assigned occupations and we have been married now 10 years.), though not particularly happy about it, was able to drive and reorganize the papers with ease. He truly is an amazing man.

And Google maps – while it is a wonderful invention, it gives its own advice by putting large blue arrows on the map, telling us where it thinks we should go. Its a computer program. And so as I’m trying to discern our next exit or turn, I’m trying to listen to what my husband is telling me, but I’m distracted by these arrows. At one point I gave total misinformation to my husband due to these arrows and I had us going the wrong direction. I really wonder sometimes why my husband lets me be the navigator at all. Probably because he’s experienced my driving…

Which brings me to think about my life. I’ve spent a lot of time, like most people, trying to figure out which way to go. Do I turn here? What if I go down this one way street? Is this my exit? And it can be very confusing sometimes. I often wonder how did I end up here?

What I mean to ask is, how did I manage to end up here, with this wonderful family, a husband who loves me well and a life that I couldn’t have planned any better?

Its not because I followed the instructions well. I’ve had some close calls – some near collisions. There were times when I almost went the wrong way. But in those moments the Heavenly Father took the map and pointed me in the right direction – sometimes lovingly, sometimes a bit more forcefully. But all in all I’ve made it this far on my journey – and there has been blessing upon blessing when I have followed His map.

Jeremiah 29:11 gives insight to for the roadtrip- Even if you don’t know the way – He does! It says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Sometimes I’ve been unsure, but He’s proven to be the best navigator ever. Google doesn’t have anything on Him.

md

(written on November 21, 2009)