Snapshots with Kathy

I vividly remember the first time I saw GPS (Global Positioning System) at work. I was at a family reunion in Tennessee and my uncle and I snuck off to play golf. He had a Garmin in his car and punched in the address of the golf course. Could that really work? A female voice began to tell us to turn left in 500 feet then go straight 3 miles. At one point we missed one of the turns. The device beeped once and her voice intoned, “Recalculating.” After a few seconds she directed us to “Turn left in 100 feet.” Well, we were already 100 feet further along and missed that turn off too. “Recalculating.” This happened a few times on our quest to find the golf course. It may have been my imagination but I sensed a certain edge to her voice after a couple of recalculations. Today this technology is much more advanced and came standard in my car.

So here’s my question: what is the guidance system for your life? What directs you to the destination you desire? Whether that means you just want to live in peace or you want to be king/queen of the world, what is it that is directing your daily choices and plans? I’m convinced we all have something or someone whose voice guides us.

It is so easy to succumb to the voices I hear on TV, radio or social media, telling me who I should be, what I should do and how I should live. The problem there is that they don’t agree with each other! What’s a body to do? Well, friend, you’d better figure out which voice has your highest good in mind, knows you best and wants goodness for you.

If I may make a suggestion…

Continuing on…

I’ve talked with people who were guided by the voice of a parent long after the parent was gone and they were fully adulted with kids of their own. They still lived with fear of doing the wrong thing, a deep sense of inadequacy, or confidence that they were doomed to fail — all based on the words spoken to them in childhood. Some folks I know are fully tuned in to the GPS of success as defined by our culture, which means title and money. For some it is their addiction to food, sex, drugs or whatever. I have talked with people who consider themselves a failure because they don’t have a spouse or children and they follow every voice that promises to get them there. While I know that there are disappointments in life stemming from unfulfilled dreams or failures (we all have them), what is it that drives your decisions, plans and goals on a daily basis?

I am a person who has worked a lot throughout my life to make and keep people happy. I like it when people are happy, safe and at peace. Yes, I know that I don’t have the power to do that for the world but Lord knows I’ve tried. Whatever it is that has driven me over the years, I have discovered two very important truths: I ain’t God but there is One. Over the years I am learning to listen for His voice as best I can and to let that be my GPS. I’m not talking about, “Dear God, shall I wear the red shirt or the blue one?” I try to get to know God more every day and as I come to know Him I learn how He created us to live our best life, in relationship with Him and with grace and love toward others. This is no small task but it has proven to be the way to a life that brings me peace, hope and joy. Not a bad destination.

My uncle and I did find the golf course and had so much fun that day. I am grateful for the voice that led us there and for ‘her’ patience as we progressed with fits and starts. She knew her stuff and we were rewarded by following her guidance. Good lesson there, eh?

Further reading:

Psalm 23:2    He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.

Psalm 25:9   He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them his way.

Psalm 48:14   For that is what God is like. He is our God forever and ever, and he will guide us until we die.

Psalm 73:24    You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny.

Isaiah 30:21    Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.

Luke 1:78-79    Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.