Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Our New "Friend" -- Daphne

I love driving on the interstate. It is almost like a game. A car passes you, then miles later, you end up passing the same car. You follow a truck and finally pass it, then when you least expect it, that truck passes you by.

I love watching the ebb and flow of the traffic on the road and watching how all the cars and trucks fit together in a puzzle of rapid motion, all seeming to go where they want, if not when they want, without much incident or mayhem.

We have a new "friend" along on our trip this time though that has dramatically changed how we relate to travel. One of the girls I work with loaned us her GPS for our recent trip (Bless you Tammye!) and we prompted nick-named the speaker with the British accent, "Daphne".

Daphne tells us before it is time to turn, what turn we will be making, which direction we will turn and how many yards it will be before we do so. Her screen display tells us much more than that. If we don't follow Daphne's instructions and either by our own stubborn will, or our own stupidity, choose to make a wrong turn, Daphne takes that in stride. She doesn't yell, or get mad. She simply calculates a new route and tells us what is the best way for us to travel based on that new plan. Occasionally that means she tells us to "Turn around as soon as you can."

Glen made the statement that it took the stress out of traveling because we knew Daphne wasn't going to let us get lost. "She'll tell us where to go!" It is so true, and it is true of the Lord as well.

He leads us in our lives and "orders" our steps. We can follow His leading, or as with Daphne, we can stubbornly make our own choices and our own mistakes. When we do, He will work even those mistakes somehow into our good. Not that He plans our sins or determines our sins, but as a dear young Christian once said, "He just takes advantage of them."

If we follow His plan and direction in our lives, we will reach the destination safely and securely in the time frame planned. If we make the wrong choices, our lives will be spent wasting time circling and retracing valuable steps. It is up to us.

As for me, I think I'll listen to the Lord. Oh, and Daphne, too.

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