Last weekend, I had to drop Eric off at the airport. As we passed through downtown Atlanta, we saw that the traffic heading north bound was nearly stopped. Eric gave me some tips on how to get back to Woodstock and miss the traffic and I thought I'd remembered his directions. However, on my way back home, I realized I'd missed a turn somewhere. I pulled out my faithful GPS, plugged it in, and waited for that sexy Australian voice to say, "Pull a u-ey and let's head in the other direction!" I even programmed the magic box to avoid the 75/85 area. Ha. After making the same loop three times, I realized that two things had happened. One, the box couldn't figure out how to get me around the 75/85 area and two, all of the road construction in the area was wreaking havoc with the satellite. Dasha continued to roar with laughter from the back seat as my GPS "mate" kept yelling, "Please return to a paved road as soon as possible!" At one point, children's voices actually came from the box in sing-song style saying, "Look around!" (I'm not kidding! This was almost my undoing coupled with Annie screaming with hunger pains)! Bottom line, my GPS wasn't getting me the answers I needed in a timely manner. It's really hard to blindly follow a silly computerized box's directions when they go against your own common sense. However, on the fourth lap, I finally followed the box's directions and found myself headed toward the Atlantic Station area. I knew if I could find that yellow and blue building which calls to me through the night (IKEA), I'd be able to navigate home. Sure enough, I reprogrammed the GPS for IKEA and magically made it across 75/85 and away from the traffic. We won't begin to tally the time it took to do laps around Peachtree vs. the time I would have actually spent sitting in traffic. However, I did manage to get to IKEA, pull the girls out of the van, feed them, bathroom them, and, of course, do a bit of impromptu shopping.What's my point? No, my point is not to remind everyone how bad I am with directions. My point is that we all have some type of map guiding us. Last weekend, I'd chosen to use my Tom-Tom friend as my map. Others chose to use an old-fashioned paper map with coffee stains which look like exit ramps. But, beyond navigating through Atlanta or any other city, we all have some sort of map that guides us through life. Sometimes, we may think those maps are invalid, out dated, or plain old ridiculous. However, most of those maps have stood the test of time and if followed with persistence and patience, you'll get where you want to go.
Ok, ok, I know I'm rambling. Without hesitation, I can tell you that the Bible is my map for this journey through life which seems to be filled with traffic jams, detours, and sometimes road closures. Lately, I've questioned my "map" more than once. I know some people would find it almost sacrilegious to acknowledge that I've questioned my very foundations over the last few months due to multiple road closures, speed bumps, and detours! However, I think it's only human to question. We all have free will and make our own choices. Hopefully, those choices are based on a plan you've made using your "map" to get to your final destination. But, when things don't go like we think they're supposed to, we begin to question and try to reprogram (or shout ugly things) at the map. That's just not how it works. We're lucky enough to have a map that has withstood thousands of years of road blocks and other construction woes. (Can you imagine the things Tom-Tom would have shouted at Noah as the flood washed out roads)? In a book by Andy Stanley, he says over and over again, "Direction, not your intention determines your destination." Just like Saturday morning, I intended to get around 75/85 but didn't plan out good directions. My intent was there but I didn't have clear direction to get to my destination - home.
As most of you know, Eric is making plans to move back to Atlanta. This is bitter-sweet. As I thought about the move initially, I thought more about intent and not direction and destination. However, he was thinking about direction and destination. Now, we're left with a sticky situation where communication is equivalent to the sound of the cable channel after it's gone off the air at midnight. We're going to have to work hard to look at the map and get our directions straight and make sure we both have the same intent. Over the last six months, I've learned that I communicate about as clearly as Tom-Tom does. I shout orders and assume that everyone around me is following them. I don't give reasons about avoiding certain areas or provide any real communication. When things go bad, I simply resort to screaming, "You are not on a paved road! Please get back on the paved road as soon as possible!" However, it's not just directions through Atlanta that are getting garbled. It's people's lives! Here's my heart's desire right now, to let my map guide me and keep my communication lines clear and open. So, if my next post reads, "Whoa, matey. Please pull to the right and wait for the emergency vehicles to assist you," you know I've blown it! However, my destination is clear - to have a renewed relationship with clear communication and I have a very good map to lead me! I just have to keep in mind that no matter how well intended I am, I need to have a good plan and stick to it in order to put all of the pieces back together again!
And while we're on the subject, stopping to ask for directions is never a bad idea, either! There are too many others who have walked the journey ahead of us and know which turns to take and which ones to avoid!
