Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Shopping Day and the GPS

My friend, Mary, and I headed up to Frisco today to go to IKEA. Now that is a great store! I bought a set of 17 containers, with lids, for five bucks for our travel trailer. I also got a bright red shag rug for my office along with two red throw pillows. We looked for some curtains (rather, a curtain since I have one, small window over my desk) -- we even stopped by Grapevine Mills Mall on the way back to try to find some -- but didn't find anything.

Recently I got a GPS for my car. It's something that I really needed. Notice, I didn't write that I wanted it but that I needed it. I am directionally challenged. In a big way. Before we went to Georgia I went over to Dallas to have lunch with one of my friends from college and got lost. I became just a little hysterical and called Johnny so he could magically tell me where to go -- from Mansfield, cuz he's supposed to know everything. He was at a lunch meeting but was still able to help me arrive at my destination. Because Johnny is a fixer, he decided to get the GPS to fix all my direction-finding needs.

Here's what the GPS does if one turns or fails to turn in a direction that the GPS wants one to go. The voice announces, "re-calculating" then gives the driver new directions. The assumption is that the GPS is giving the driver the best way to go. When the driver decides to do something other than follow directions then the GPS has to recalculate and decide on a new route. Maybe it's not the best way to go but it will still get the driver to the desired destination. Assuming that the driver follows the subsequent directions.

I wonder how many times I've gotten off the best path God has for me. When my direction has to be recalculated because I've gotten off course. Today the GPS wanted me to make a u-turn. I don't know where I would've gone from there because I thought I knew better so I didn't go that way. Who knows what I've missed when I've simply refused to follow directions...

I want to be a good follower of directions. Really, I do. That means I have to admit that I don't know what's better for me. I don't know the way. I gotta listen and pay attention.

So, yeah, that's my spiritual application for the shopping day and the GPS.

Serving the King,

Jeanette

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Recalculating...excellent sermon illustration
Have you been studying homelitics on the side?
johnny

Sue said...

I love co-relating our lives to a GPS! I've also heard it used as God is us and we are the GPS telling God where to go when we think he's gotten off course. Both ways are very true! (Not sure I explained that point well though - lol)

On our GPS we can program other voices so we have Mr. T telling us... "I pity the fool who doesn't turn left"... or something along those lines. It's funny for the first 5 minutes ... then you want to pity Mr. T as you reprogram a new voice. :-D

Enjoy your new traveling companion ;-)