It happened again today. I had a morning meeting at church about seven miles from my home. So, since it was a beautiful sunny day, I decided to ride my bike there using a route that my phone’s GPS had laid out which took me through several unfamiliar neighborhoods to avoid the busy main roads where I live. I was running tight on time, so I was pushing it pretty hard.
That’s when it happened. Suddenly my phone announced, “GPS signal lost.”
Of course, for most people that wouldn’t be any big deal, but for me it is. You see, I’m what some folks politely call “directionally challenged.” So, as soon as my phone gave me the happy news, I started to panic and blurted out a sarcastic, “Oh, GREAT!”
Then I remembered something that my daughter, who is also directionally challenged, had said to me years ago when I’d jokingly suggested to her that we start a support group for people like us and that we call it L.O.S.T. “The only trouble,” I said, “is that I can’t think of what the acronym should stand for.”
She replied almost immediately. “Lovers Of Scenic Tours,” she said.
Brilliant! In one simple phrase, she had transformed what I’d always seen as a problem into an invitation to embrace a new adventure. So, rather than go into full panic mode when I lost the GPS signal, I simply prayed, “Lord, I trust you to lead.” Then I kept pedaling.
When I think about Jesus and his disciples, it seems to me that he did much the same thing. When he first called them, he didn’t say, “Hey, I have a great business plan laid out. Want to see it?” He simply said, “Follow me,” inviting them to join him in a journey of trust.
Three years later, that journey that came to a pivotal climax when, as they shared what would prove to be their final meal together, Jesus announced to his disciples that he’d soon be leaving them.
I can only imagine how they must have felt in that moment. I mean, talk about losing your GPS signal! And it didn’t help much when Jesus tried to reassure them by saying, “And you know the way to where I am going.” (John 14:4) No wonder Thomas responded with a question: “Lord, we don’t know where you’re going, so how can we know the way?”
That’s when Jesus uttered those famous words, “I am the way…”
Are you feeling like your GPS signal has been lost, like you’ve lost your way? If so, I encourage you to pause for a moment, let go of your need to have the future all mapped out, and place your trust in the One who is the way. Who knows? This just might be the start of an amazing new adventure!
Prayer: Jesus, sometimes we DO panic when it feels like we’ve lost our way. In those times, and in all times, help us to put our trust in you, for you are the Way. Amen
Dave Marty is a retired pastor who lives with his wife, Mary, in Brownsburg, Indiana. They have two beautiful daughters, two great sons-in-law, and two creative teenage grandchildren. In addition to cycling (including unicycling), Dave also enjoys gardening, Scrabble, hosting Holy Land tours with Mary, and tutoring kindergarteners at a nearby school