The Scenic Route
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press Now) -- Those of us who are a bit directionally challenged (i.e., bad at directions) know the feeling of making the wrong turn at what should be a familiar intersection. We also know the feeling of taking longer to get to a destination than it should take.
Thankfully, our phones have GPS built in and we can get extra help from a satellite-guided voice. Before those days, I would joke with my wife and small children that I decided we needed to see more of the area: we're taking the "scenic route."
They would laugh. . . most of the time. However, sometimes those extra moments did provide some unexpected and even delightful scenery for us to enjoy, even though it took a few extra minutes out of our day by adding miles to our drive time.
Again, I am a big supporter of GPS devices and have been saved from being desperately lost more than a time or two because of them. There are days, though, when I miss the extra time and scenery. In fact, there are times when I go on a drive and take a longer route home just to have a few extra moments on the road seeing something unfamiliar.
Following God seems a bit like taking the scenic route at times. I have heard many analogies comparing the Holy Spirit as a sort of GPS "guide" for us as we seek to follow God, and this is absolutely true. However, I also know that the way God leads us, even if we are attentive to the cues we are getting, can seem like the long way around. In the Book of Isaiah, God says: "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways" (Isaiah 55:8).
This means that what seems like the simple way to us may not be the direction God intends for us to go. Futhermore, it appears as if God intentionally takes us from "point A" to "point B" in less direct routes than we might have chosen. Sometimes this is to help us spend more time with God and to spend more time focusing on our relationship with God. Perhaps other times, we are led off the familiar and easy path so that we may encounter someone who needs the kind of encouragement or assistance that we can provide.
Either way, learning that God's ways are different from my own, and that his ways are the best ways, even if they don't seem as convenient for me at times, is a good way to find our direction in life.
