Two times in as many days I’ve gotten lost driving to places where I’ve been many times before. Tuesday night I was on my way to the Blackwell’s for small group. Traffic was terrible, and at one point I needed to make a left turn and just couldn’t get over through traffic into the turn lane. Rather than cut someone off, I decided just to make the block. Except there was no block—I had to wind around for about a mile and ended up almost dumped back on the interstate. The more I doubled back trying to find my way, the more lost I became. I finally threw in the towel and called Ashley for directions.The next morning I was giving Kenneth Hawley a ride to the airport. I don’t know how many times I’ve been to the Hawley’s home in the last 15 years—maybe a 100 times or more? But I was in a hurry, the traffic was bad and nothing was looking very familiar, and I was afraid I had missed my turn. So I called the office and Cathy assured me I was on the right road. The problem with getting turned around a lot is that you start expecting be to be turned around!)
I would suggest that these incident are proof that I’m getting older, but the truth is that I have always had a horrible sense of direction. If I come down with Alzheimer’s (which does run in our family), no one will know it for a long while because I'm like this all the time. You would think that Newport News is the hardest city in the world to get lost in—everything is built between Warwick Boulevard and Jefferson Avenue so all you have to do is head in the right direction and you’ll eventually get there, right? Well, that’s the hard part—heading in the right direction. I can get turned around going down the street. If anyone is a candidate for a GPS system, that would be me. I almost always print out a Google map before going anywhere.
I think many of us have my sense of direction when it comes to spiritual matters. The world is a confusing place—there are all these mixed messages about values and what is important in life. The siren songs of a thousand different voices bombard us constantly, telling us what is important and what we need to make us happy. On the one had we are told that money can’t buy happiness; but on the other hand Madison Avenue pitchmen offer a thousand different baubles that are money-back guaranteed to satisfy us... until the next thing comes along. We live our lives going in so many different directions at once, and that has to mean that at least some of the time we are going in the wrong direction. Right?
Sometimes when I get lost (and this is contrary to my Y chromosome), I just gotta pull over and call someone. If you are going the wrong way, it doesn’t matter how good the time you are making! We need to spend more time getting life directions from our life map. The Bible has things to say about our life choices—our relationships, use of money, how to treat difficult people, etc. Scripture is not a handbook for running a church. Actually few of what we connect with “running church” are directly mention-- church committees, Sunday Schools, bulletins, order of worship, building programs or even church buildings. What the Bible does reveal is the mind of God, and that is pretty important when it comes to the direction of our lives. Some obscure prophet named Jeremiah said something about “it is not for man to direct his steps” (Jer 10:23). We need directions.
And we also need to be more involved in helping one another with directions. Have you ever had another Christian humbly approach you, meantion a wrong direction your life seems to be be taking, give you wise counsel based upon their own past mistakes and then offer to pray with you? Well, me either. But isn’t that what we should be doing? Isn’t that one of the safeguards God gives us to keep us from ignoring or misinterpreting Scripture and making destructive life choices?
We need to be more open to getting directions along the way of our lifewalk. And we need to be more open to giving directions.
3 comments:
Tuck, I believe you have a perfectly fine spiritual compass in your brain. Your willingness to miss a turn “rather than cut someone off” makes you a safe ans courteous driver, the road is a better place because of and thanks to you as you do not expedite your cause at the expense of others. You are a good man and I know that to be true.
A “good quality” well placed compass, properly installed and calibrated (to your particular vehicles unique magnetic field) might be helpful. ‘Don’t waste your time on junk it will cost you more than you are willing to pay.’ Until you find that “perfect” GPS try a good compass. It will compliment your GPS. The satellite signals are free for all, so don’t anyone get stuck with a GPS that charges you for the service, our father’s tax dollars put them up there and they have been made accurately available by our government commercially for anyone to take advantage of.
A compass will at least tell you what direction you are headed on a cloudy day that can be invaluable. Good instruments such as compass and GPS along with an updated map also helps improve my since of directions. All that said. . . Nothing! And I mean nothing! Can hold a candle to a good navigator and copilot sitting beside you who is willing to travel with you and check your instruments between red lights, while you dedicate all your faculties towards ensuring you and everyone else on the golden road of life reach your intended destination safe and intact.
About spiritual directions, ‘The world is a confusing place—there are all these mixed messages about values and what is important in life.’and ‘The problem with getting turned around a lot is that you start expecting be to be turned around!’.
I’m getting older, but the truth is that I have always been turned around a lot even by -church committees, Sunday Schools, bulletins, order of worship, building programs or even church buildings. ‘The Bible does reveal is the mind of God, and that is pretty important when it comes to the direction of our lives.’ We all need directions from that source. “it is not for man to direct his steps” (Jer 10:23)
Helping one another with directions? Christians should humbly approach one another, mention wrong direction that their life seems to be taking, give wise counsel based upon their own past mistakes and offer to pray with one another? I will and I am asking for the same.
“Were ever you are, This morning the sun will rise in the east and set in the west afternoon.” Here and now it hangs ever yet lower towards the south as the falling temperature urges the geese to assemble in their familiar formations calling out as they head south for the winter. There are so many mysteries and clues to life that we should never be bored. Looking at the trees I am reminded that as they (drop their leaves and prepare to sleep) they have been reaching to the south and appear heavier on that side. If it were not for the north winds that blow; they would all expire to the heavy side, with their cool moss growing on the shady side of their trunks. -I just woke with that and wanted to share it before it vanished- It’s time to rake the leaves and make compost. . . well maybe after it stops raining and things dry out a little bit.
There have been studies of statistics that suggests that those who are exposed to small amounts of nicotine and caffeine on a regular basis are less likely (even when genetically predisposed) to get an early degeneration of neurotransmitters. It is not fully understood way this is, some have suggested, ‘it could be that the neuro-toxic nicotine which is very similar to vitamin B and is delivered to the brain cells where it binds to (as does vitamin B) and stimulates the central nervus system. It is possible that vitamin Bs such as B12 and B6 (both depleted in times of stress) could be delivered directly into the bloodstream (instead of nicotine) in therapeutic doses (it can be absorbed under the tongue) on a regular basis this could be very good for many things including memory retention and such. (Interesting fact. . . that those people who are low on vitamin B will crave nicotine and will be satisfied by it just as hungry people are satisfied by the empty calories found in candy but it will not be good for them long term and they will suffer long term damage if they do not learn good habits.) (A small, half a glass of wine or beer at dinner is not a bad thing (unless you have to have it and the elders find the bottle in your fridge. Which could cost you the rest of your bottle. . . come to think of it we need more elders.) (Don’t think that a half a glass of wine on Friday night means you can eat all the eggs bacon you want on Saturday morning.) A heart attack is a heart attack I don’t care if you smoke or don’t exercise or just eat a lot of fatty stuff because you like it. Don’t think one is worse than the other because we all have to take care of each other. We all pay when someone falls ill and we will not leave anyone behind to be eaten by the wolves!
Don’t run out and buy up all the nicotine patches, Gum etc. leave that for those who are trying to kick the chains of abdication found in the tobacco industry. It is legal but that does not make it right. Vitamins might help but even that can be overdone and can cause problems if your doctor is not aware of what you are taking. Don’t smoke, don’t get drunk, exercise and display good habits and don’t make a habit of anything that will make you a slave to any other than your God. These are the only instructions I have for you and anyone else who will follow them?
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