My GPS Silenced: What To Do When You Are Lost And Without Sense of Direction.
Posted: Sunday, February 28, 2010
by Fran Larson
http://www.franniesquotes.com/
Who knew the day could turn out to be so confusing?
I began my journey happy and confident. I was scheduled to take my daughter to an impatient surgery procedure in Tampa, Fla., which is only about 30 miles from where I now reside.
My daughter had recently moved and I had only been to her home once before. However, I was not even a little bit worried about it because I had my trusty GPS. (As most of you are aware of, GPS is a global positioning system that tells you where on earth you are via satellite and therefore can also tell you how to get to another destination.)
My trusty GPS, Karen told me in her most proper Australian accent how to get to my daughter Jamie’s house. I arrived right on time. Off we went to the hospital where we would be for several hours, while Jamie was recovering (that is a whole other story).
After the recovery time, Jamie and I headed back to her house. This time, we did not use the GPS since she was wide-awake and told me how to get back to her house.
At this point in the story, I have to make something perfectly clear to you, my readers. I have no sense of direction – I mean zero. I can get lost in a mall, a subdivision or just about anywhere. My family will all agree on this subject. They all know when I say, “I think you turn this way, or it is just down the street”, that I really don’t know what I am talking about. They usually smile and ignore me.
Anyway, back to my story. As soon as I knew Jamie was comfortable and the pain medication seemed to be working, I made my way to the car to start home. I set my GPS, Karen to “favorite locations,” then punched “home.” Now I was ready for a nice leisurely ride home. The sun was shining. It would be a beautiful 1-hour drive home.
Karen began directing me where to turn as well as what lane to be in for the next turn. I loved her accent. She sounded so intelligent. Karen always let me know a few minutes before my turn, so that I could get in the lane I needed to be in. Karen was amazing! (All my life I have been – I guess you could call it – sense of direction impaired.)
I was so totally relaxed that I didn’t notice Karen’s silence for a few minutes. I looked down at the GPS and the light was out. I frantically unplugged then plugged it back in but still no light, no Karen, and worse of all, no voice telling me what to do.
For a normal person without this any sense of direction impairment, it wouldn’t be any big deal but for me it was huge. I realized I was in the middle of Tampa; not knowing how to get home and the after-work traffic was getting heavier by the minute. I longingly looked down at Karen, but her light was off and for some strange unknown reason, she decided to be silent at a time when I most needed her.
I talked to myself and decided that somehow everything would be OK and I would arrive home safely. I decided I would get in the right lane and ask someone, anyone where I was. What a horrible feeling this was to be so lost. Just as I was about to stop, I noticed a sign that said, Highway 41, Lutz. I felt my body start to relax and I began to breath normally again. I thought to myself, I know how to get home from Lutz, so all I have to do is take 41 to Lutz. I got on 41 and everything was so unfamiliar and I felt like I was a million miles from home.
Highway 41 did take me to Lutz (a very small town) and from there, I made my way home.
The shock of how Karen suddenly stopped directing me and just left me hanging left me with an array of emotions. I was proud of myself for not panicking, but also realized that I depended too much on Karen. At the very least, I should have had some idea as to what direction I would be traveling and what roads to take.
Maybe that is how it is with God. There are/have been times in my life when, suddenly, he was silent. I would be/am in a panic, not knowing which direction to turn, what road to take, nor even how far it is to my destination.
Like a GPS, God knows where we are on this earth.
There comes a point in one’s Christianity when you should begin figuring things out for yourself and not depend on God for every decision. Doesn’t God help those who help themselves? The road you are traveling is unfamiliar. You are traveling on roads (through changes in your life) that you have never experienced before. This lost feeling during a change can certainly catch you off guard for a moment. However, we must realize God is always there but for some reason, he is silent. The painful decisions we have to make or changes in our life sometimes cause us to panic, but it is time for you/me to grow up and know God is there for us, whether we feel it or not.
" When you cannot hear God, " says Oswald Chambers in My Utmost For His Highest, " you will find that He has trusted you in the most intimate way possible—with absolute silence, not a silence of despair, but one of pleasure, because He saw that you could withstand an even bigger revelation. "
This Article has been viewed 14 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Beautiful - I always tell people that when the Lord was passing out "direction finders" i was in the bathroom. My sister got TWO - she is alike a cat always landing on its feet - I am lost in my own back yard. Colorado has helped - Pike's Peak doesn't move and if I can see it at least I have a clue! And yes, God is sometimes silent and we need to grow into that. Good analogy there!You are too cute, Marijo! Pikes Peak is your landmark! That is so cool. Thanks for reading my article.
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.