Living life as a directionally challenged person hasn't been easy. In fact, my father used to tease me when I would come to visit. He rightfully assumed that a wrong turn would delay my arrival and frustrate me. When we said goodbye, he would also take great pains to remind me of the best route back home; to him, it was very straightforward. You see, Miami gives me great anxiety, even though I was born there.
Have you ever given directions to a favorite place based on your own familiar routine? If you don't know the traveler's point of origin, you might be doing more harm than good! Have you ever started out on a road trip with confidence (using familiar landmarks) only to become hopelessly lost? Or maybe you were carefully following GPS instructions and then you missed a critical turn. When technology works well, it reroutes you in real time. No harm. No foul. But real life isn't always so kind.
June marks the beginning of hurricane season. I have personally been impacted by the brute force of storms and the path forward is not always clear. Even more impactful, the painful death of a loved one can cause you to swerve off course as you struggle with that unexpected loss. Sometimes, we make costly decisions that impact others. Or maybe our best laid plans fall apart, leaving a massive cloud of dust where dreams once stood. Sometimes we choose the wrong college major, but other times we choose the wrong life partner. Sometimes we take the long way home. If I've learned one thing from all my years of teaching, it's that background information matters. And we all start from a different baseline as we tackle each challenge. Setbacks should be anticipated because we live in a broken world. But they don't have to derail us from the destination!
Jesus dealt with people as individuals and met them at the point of their need. A good doctor takes a full patient history before creating a treatment plan. And we should become expert listeners before weighing in on someone else's journey. This June, whether you can check off a noteworthy accomplishment or you simply survived another day, you are loved and you are enough. Even when turbulence rocks your world and visibility is low, trust the control tower to bring you safely home. As Father's Day approaches, I honor the men of integrity who guide their families with confident purpose and sacrificial love. Wherever you find yourself in the journey right now, remember the old adage, "God allows U-turns."
Proverbs 3:5-6 (MSG)
Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track.
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