I had an appointment on the other side town and hadn't been to the address since pre-COVID. But nevertheless I had a pretty good idea about where I was supposed to go. At the time I made the appointment a couple of weeks ago, I had even checked the map to make sure that I knew where I was going. So, yesterday, as I was leaving home, I clicked on the map and start. Now even though I knew where I was going, I opted to use the map to find out how long it would take for me to get there.
As I turned on to Broad Street I immediately got into the right lane because I knew that I would be making a right turn. But as I glanced at the map, i noticed that it indicated that I had to make a left turn instead. It was at that moment that I began to doubt myself, maybe I was wrong. Maybe I had made the right turn from Monument Avenue, not Broad Street. That would make sense. So I got in the left lane and made the turn. In a few minutes Google announced the arrival to my destination on the right. Except the only things on the right were a few houses and bushes, not the office building.
Confused, and slightly embarrassed, I called to let my appointment know that I was lost. As she gave me the directions I realized that I had been right, I was supposed to make a right, not a left turn. As I headed back towards my appointment I remembered that this was not the first time Google had been wrong. I made it to my appointment, a little late, but I got there.
Later, as I was leaving my appointment, I mentioned that I should have trusted myself instead of listening to something that didn't understand where I was going. At that moment, I realized that there was a Word in this. Sometimes we go about our lives we get side-tracked. We feel like we know where we are going and are on the right path. Then someone or something causes us to question not just how to get to our destination, but even, whether or not we really want to go there. We can end up lost and confused because we have gotten off track. We can choose to wander around looking for the way to get back on track, or we can call the One who already knows the destination and the most direct route to get there.
When I was lost I connected with the only one who could help me to get back on track. But there are so many lost people in the world. They aren't necessarily looking for a physical destination. But they may be looking for peace, or joy, or safety, or even the meaning of life. They may be wandering into some dangerous neighborhoods or maybe they maybe running out of gas and ready to give up. But just like I called the one who guided me back on the right path, they only have to call The One, who can not only guide them to the path, but is able to make the right path right in front of them, right where they are.
Sometimes we just have to trust what we already know. In my case, Google sowed the seeds of doubt, and I followed even though I kept wondering if I was going. in the right direction, In life we need to know that we know, that we know. and not listen to every voice that whispers to us that there is a better way. And when we get confused or lost, we can always go to The One that can bring us safely back.
I would like to say that I have learned my lesson and won't get lost by Google again. But one thing is sure, I'll trust myself to know where I want to go. And if I get loss again, I won't wander around trying to find my way. I will call on The Only One who can rescue me. And I know that is Good News!