The other day I was driving home from an area of Los Angeles in which I am very unfamiliar. Getting home I used my GPS. Driving along the freeway the GPS informed me that I could save 28 minutes by taking another route. So, with my sense of exploration, I turned off the freeway and wondered where this scenic route, in a city in which I am so very unfamiliar, would be taking me. I wondered, too, how easy it is to trust my GPS, which I have named, “Blind Man” since there have been times it has led me to where I did not want to go! Would today be one of those days? In the midst of all that, I pondered who in life offers direction in life. In my life, I have had great friends who offered counsel, who stood by me in the hard times and celebrated the good ones. I thought about how I rely on prayer when direction is needed. I even pondered how well I rely on God. I heard myself question if I rely on God like I rely on my GPS – a certain lingering doubt filtering the directions.
As the GPS routed me to another freeway, the on-ramp was in sight, as were a bunch of concrete K-bars blocking access. My GPS did it to me again!! Now I was left to drive the surface streets, in an unfamiliar city, while listening to the GPS as it wanted me to make U-Turns for freeway access – that had no access available. Thankfully, we caught up with each other and the GPS mapped out another route to the freeway and I could make my way home. After all this I realized I did get to see a city I normally pass on by as I drive the freeway, and I was taken where I did not want to go, which is sometimes, how live works its way out for us. We think we know the direction, we step out, veer off the path, explore and find our way back. Happy GPS-ing!!
– Blog entry by Sister Terry Maher