Directions…can’t live
with them….can’t live without them!
Directions….I find that I can’t live with them….or can’t
live without them.
I often think what did people do before GPS and the little
gal on the phone who gives us directions?
Did we wing it? Did we actually
talk to a live person and write down each turn and each landmark to ensure that
we would indeed arrive at our destination?
I find that I have a very unhealthy love….hate relationship
with directions! It could be directions
for arriving at a desired place at a desired time. It could be directions on how to operate a
coffee maker, food processor or a sewing project. It takes time, effort and patience to read
directions. Without directions we can
have disasters. As Preacher often says, “when
all else fails….read the directions.” He
often quotes this after a bumbling, bubbly mess I have concocted for
dinner. Directions.
I tend to try to skip the directions and wing it. Ouch….as Dr. Phil often asks, “How is that
working for you?”
Well, to be brutally frank and humbly honest, it does not
work.
I was reminded of this fact just a few days ago. I got to my destination and meet son, Tim to
assist with a project he was working on.
I had not been to this particular place in several months. I focused and kept my thoughts on target:
arrive at destination, on time. I was so
proud of myself when I pulled up at the right place, at the right time. I even did a stint of braggadocio: ‘Tim, I
arrived and did not get lost or turned around.’
That puffed up, prideful feeling should have been an indication that a
fall was right around the corner. And
it was!
After the assist, I got back in my car to carry on to my
next destination. What should have taken
a mere 5 minutes or less ended up taking me 45 minutes. As I got in my car to make my way to my next
stop, I was obviously feeling snug and satisfied and began to daydream about
the rest of the day and how very organized and on schedule my day was going.
Almost immediately I somehow turned too quickly and the
sights seemed a little unfamiliar…but sometimes that can happen, well at least
with me. I came to an unfamiliar traffic
light and the area still seemed unfamiliar….so I had to make a decision: right
or left. Hmmm… This seemed like an easy
fix and I should have been back on course in no time. Did not happen that way at all.
I had my trusty little phone with me which has an app that
features a little gal whom I can summon for directions. I must admit she is pretty good, pretty accurate,
spot on. She has escorted me on many a
little trip and brought me right to the door of my destination without one
hitch. Well, maybe one or two, but she does
get me back on track and quickly!
Now, mind you, she can be bossy! Several times I have been in the far right
lane and should have been in the far left lane and be prepared to turn
left. She starts telling me: turn left
in 30 yards; then turn left in 20 yards; then turn left in 10 yards. Problem is I am caught in traffic and I could
NOT possibly get into the far left lane, even with her prodding. So, I cut my loses and pass the turn; by now
she is adamant: make a U turn at the next left turn! And to appease her, that is exactly what I
do. I make a u-turn.
I don’t especially like it when a phone outsmarts me, out
thinks me and well-it just too big and bossy for its ‘britches’….as we say in
Kentucky!
And as usual she was right.
When I do make the U-turn as she instructs, I am back on course.
Not this particular day.
I did not even consult ‘little miss direction.’ Nope, I thought, ‘self, you got this.’. So I took a left turn after consulting my
very rusty, untrusty compass. That compass is my intuition. I should have known better, this compass has
failed me many times. Hmmmmm… I did not
have it….at all.
So I took the left turn and began merrily driving along. I was still pretty confident and all the
while I was still planning my day and I felt I had everything under control. I began looking for the cross street that
would eventually take me to my destination.
Now, two things bug me tremendously about Big D
streets. Did I say TREMENDOUSLY? Whether I am driving or I am sitting on the
passenger side, I am tremendously bothered by our street
signs. Now I wear glasses and have since
8th grade. I must wear them
for distance and now for close up reading…anyway, I have corrective lenses and
still cannot read most street signs!
They are too small! I squint, I squint
even tighter, screw up my face and still cannot see the street sign. I do not know who these signs were designed
for, but I have a sneaking suspicion that I am not the only one who has trouble
seeing these signs…oh, BTW, gasp when there are no street signs!
The second big bug that bugs me tremendously is small
address numbers on buildings…or lack thereof!!
I am amazed at how business after business does not have their address
number loud and up front so persons of interest, like myself, can see them!
There should be a law! There should be
rioting in the streets! There should be a
major protest!
So for me, double wammy!
Can’t see street signs, there are no numbers on business and some houses…what
is a poor, older, can barely see person, like myself to do? HA…get lost…that is what happens.
Anyway, here I am driving along; I have decided-I made a
conscious, deliberate, rebellious decision, NOT to consult my ready at hand
direction gal. When I get in this
mindset, somehow I am convinced that if I drive far enough, believe hard enough
and squint hard enough, I will arrive at my destination. Who am I kidding?
Note to self: does
not work like that.
So, I kept driving, all the time, not quite in panic mode,
but that little nag in my head, kept saying, ‘this does NOT look familiar.’ Soon the nag turned into a sing song…’this does NOT look familiar.’
Finally, the nag screams in full force, ‘THIS DOES NOT LOOK FAMILIAR.”
I had been driving for 20 minutes and should have come to my
turn to get back on course 18 minutes ago.
That should have been my first indication that something was not
right. But, no, stubborn me just had to
keep driving.
I glanced at a street sign that I could actually see and
thought…hmmmm…that is familiar! Ha! Ha!
Oh, it was familiar all right….two cities away from where I
needed to be. When I saw the sign “Welcome
to Allen,” I shouted. “Allen!” How did this
happen? I had stubbornly driven several
miles, two cities away from my destination!
This severe error in judgment took several minutes out of my planned
schedule.
So now I had no choice!
I pulled over, pulled out my phone and typed my destination in the app I
fondly call ‘Miss Know It ALL.’ I decided to follow… the directions. I listened to every detail she spewed
out. My mouth was filled with a big bite
of humble pie. Hard to chew; impossible to swallow. She monotonously gave me direction after
direction and guided me to my destination…..45 minutes later...
Note to self: heed
the directions, ask for directions, obey the directions, when it feels ‘off’,
it is off. When nothing looks familiar,
beware. Just because I thought I could ‘make
it right’…did not make it right. I was
wrong, way off course and there were consequences: time lost, gas wasted and eating
humble pie is hard on the body and spirit.
So, as I arrived at my destination, I was frustrated to say
the least. I did not ever admit to son,
Tim, that although I had easily arrived to meet him, I did not easily arrive at
my next stop. If he reads this, he will
chuckle some, perhaps. He has an
excellent sense of direction: I have NO sense of direction. I am one of those poor, lonely souls who
someday will be lost in the parking lot for 40 years trying to find my car
amongst the sea of other vehicles.
Anyway, after this event, I made note to self: ‘lesson
learned”…(I hope), now, just exactly what did I learn from this?
I learned that even after all these years and as familiar as
I think I might be in an area: follow directions.
Likewise, spiritually: FOLLOW DIRECTIONS.
Too often we think we know more than God and His Word. Often we forget or just refuse to consult the
Road Map, The Way, the Light, and the Truth.
We reason and justify our disobedience.
Unfortunately, there are consequences, some more serious and deadly than
others. God does not bless a mess. And like I had to do; often we have to go all
the way back to our starting place and do things His Way.
The very best set of instructions we have as human beings,
mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, children, grandchildren, neighbors,
employers, employees and as children of God, is the Bible.
The Bible…how many of us sang that little song: ‘The B I
B L E, yes that’s the book for me, I stand alone on the Word of God, the
B I B L E!’
In looking back at this little incident of my little
direction challenge, I thought how often do we try to wing our life
without the best roadmap, the most accurate set of instructions, and the only
true source of information. Just like the
little lady in my phone, God’s Word is ready at hand and available to help
whenever, however, wherever. But, as I
experienced, we have to avail ourselves to those resources. Winging it: BTW,
FYI ‘winging it’ comes from the late 19th century and it was first
defined in 1885 “playing a role without knowing the text.” See the parallel? Make the connection. Connect all the dots? I did. Playing a role without the Word…….
Wow, does that make me sit up and take notice! We, as Christians think we can ‘wing’ this
Christian journey by ‘playing a role and not know the text-the text being the
Bible…the Bible being our roadmap, our set of directions.
So, big note to self: Use the Guide, Read the Directions,
Listen to Instructions, Observe the Road Signs.
Heed the danger and warning signs.
Just because we hope we can make our destination without proper
directions, does not mean we will. Trust
me, as they say….’been there and done that!’
Dr. Phil, it did not work for me….nor will it for anyone
else!
Now…if I can just find those glasses……
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