Help! I Need a Course Correction!

I travel the highways to Austin and Tulsa often and rarely do I need directions. But, when I am on the phone or in Lala Land while driving, I just might take a wrong turn. One time, I took the wrong exit to Dallas coming home from Tulsa and ended up on some backwoods roads. I thought "Since I'm this far into it, I'll just stay on this road and see where it comes out. After all, I'm going southwest so it will eventually get me where I need to go." It did, but it was a 45-minute longer drive. I should have course-corrected, turned around to get back back on the right road. Then it would have only been a 20-minute longer drive.

What you may not know about me is that I’m a Private Pilot. Haven't flown since my husband when to heaven, but once a pilot, always a pilot. We had a single engine, 4-passenger, Cessna 182 like the one pictured here – a sweet ride. We logged many hours flying across this great country. I remember some crucially important things that ensured landing where, and when, we intended. Wind speed and wind direction requires course corrections throughout the flight. A strong wind can certainly take you off course. Constant “tweaking” is necessary. All it takes is to be off just a few degrees and you can end up in Timbuktu, instead of the intended destination.

And those course corrections while driving and flying are true in our own day-to-day living. Our emotions, our bodies, and our spirits may get off course by “negative winds” that we’ve let come in. They may have come in by the company we keep, some unhealthy habits, some unwise decisions we make without consulting our Heavenly Father first, maybe some compromising of our ethics and integrity, or literally missing the mark.

Perhaps, it’s time for some tweaking and correcting our course. The winds can certainly slow us down, and take us completely off course -- not to mention keep us from receiving the blessings that could have been ours if we were on track. Here we are in the season of Lent when we deliberately focus our attention on getting it right – getting our hearts right. It’s the perfect time to make course corrections – where we make the adjustments necessary to be fully devoted followers of Christ.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10. I promise you….this is the stuff that helps us drive further -- faster and fly higher than we’ve EVER flown before. I'm quite sure I can use some tweaking!

Help! I Need Directions!

I’m so thankful for my phone's GPS app. Such a time saver. Such a stress reliever. Such great comfort as I take so many road trips by myself. I remember the days of getting lost trying to find a location. I wonder how we made it so well before GPS? How did they make it in the old days before pavement roads or signs? Oh, I know. God was with them, just like He is so present with us today.

While my car wasn't starting on Saturday and trying to resolve the issue, I was going through my car’s Owner’s Manual to try to find an answer to the problem. Besides the car not starting, the outside lights would not turn off. I knew the battery would drain if I couldn't figure it out. The outside lights were on “Automatic” and the manual said I needed to “turn” the knob to “Off”, but the knob was stuck. It wouldn’t turn. Instead of unsticking it, I pushed the knob casing right into the dashboard. Lord, have mercy! I thought: "Something else to be charged for at the repair shop!" I tried grabbing hold of it to pull it out, but couldn’t get it to stay. I used a large screwdriver and pliers – but nada! I quit trying and went back to my prayer time and again, that scripture came to me “Do not fear. Only believe.” Shortly after that I remembered my small eyeglasses screwdriver, used it to pop it back in! And, whoa-la, and praise God -- it worked!

Seriously, my friends, I know it’s not a magic potion, but I know God is with me. He is with us. His Holy Spirit is in us and He knows everything about everything. He is our wisdom provider, our common-sense initiator, our comfort-giver, and our source of any and everything we need. He is so much more than a GPS!

I’m hearing the message loud and clear – that we should be communicating with Him as we would with a friend with us in the car, or, across the table from us. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6 Those ways include car troubles, family troubles, and life troubles. They include good times and not-so-good times.

Having a little conversation with Him Who knows everything about everything -- provides directions when and to where we want to go. That's huge when we consider those who refuse to ask for directions -- men AND women. They'll go around the same block or same area of town over and over again before they're willing to ask directions. But, in this case.....if we just have a little one-on-one with Him Who is the Supreme KNOW-IT-ALL, He will direct our paths. We'll get to our destination in record time, even get cars repaired. Expert advice!

Perhaps you're looking for direction on decisions that you are having to make today. Just maybe this "Word" is your "Word" too. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways (while driving, washing dishes, mowing the lawn, waiting in a store line, etc., acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths."

What WAZE You Down? Are You "Direction" Challenged?

For some time my son, Larry, was encouraging me to use the "free" Waze app on my phone. He told me that it was a much better option than any other GPS system or app. I tried using it but still didn't trust it when it would take me off the beaten path to get to my destination. But, in my many travels over the last 10 months, I've become more familiar with it and have found that it is quite trustworthy. Still there's that notion that I don't completely trust him (I have an Englishmen's voice instead of the female voice on my Waze app. What can I say -- I still enjoy hearing a man's voice direct me!") But yesterday morning I headed out for an appointment to an unfamiliar location so I asked Mr. Waze for directions. He gave me exactly opposite of where I needed to go. He wasn't making sense, so I did it my way. Sure enough, my way led to a completely closed road which detoured me back the way Mr. Waze wanted me to go. He knew what was best for me.

Maybe this is somewhat of a promo for Waze because I want my friends to get to their destination with less stress and anxiety. Waze helps do that. This isn't a scheme to get you to buy something, but it is a suggestion to download this app that seems to know everything about the roads and places around us. Here's the way Waze works. People, like you and me, work together toward a common goal to outsmart traffic and get everyone the best and fastest route to where they need to go. It tells us about traffic and it gives us a heads-up about police, accidents, road hazards and traffic jams -- which Waze knows because other drivers are providing the real time information. You can even navigate it to the best priced gas station on your route because the Waze community shares best gas prices. I love that --"people helping people"!

As I navigated my way back around to get get to my appointment, I scolded myself for thinking, once again, "MY way is better". I thought "If only I'd followed his directions, I wouldn't be late for my appointment!" The most sophisticated directional technology in the world is not much help if we won't follow its directions.

And it's the same with listening and following the directions of He Who knows everything about everything and is ALWAYS accurate in His course directions. When we follow God's instructions, and not waver off the path He's laid out for us, or think "my way is better"...then, there will be no anxiety or concern about getting lost -- He'll make sure we'll get to where we need to go, and arrive when we need to get there!!

Once again this scripture that I often post still applies and it merits repeating today. "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your OWN understanding; in ALL your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

I Need Directions To...............

Day 149 of Photo Inspirations -- I Need Directions To.........
A few days ago, as my friends and I had our morning walk, we were talking about prayer and if we have an awareness of "God With Us" wherever we go, and whatever we are doing, then we don't have to be in a certain posture or location to pray.  We'll just be communicating with Him as we would with a friend with us in the car, or, in our case, our walking friends where we chat together along the way. We quoted the scripture in Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  IN ALL YOUR WAYS,  acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths."  How awesome is that?

Having a little conversation with Him Who knows everything about everything -- provides DIRECTIONS -- when and to where we want to go.  That's HUGE when we consider those who refuse to ask for directions -- men AND women.  They'll go around the same block or same area of town over and over again, before they're willing to ask directions.  But, in this case.....if we just have a little one-on-one with Him Who is the Supreme KNOW-IT-ALL -- He WILL direct our paths and we'll get to our destination in record time.  That's what I call expert advice!

After our walk, I headed over to my cousin's home where the estate sale people are getting it ready for their sale this weekend.  I looked around to see if I could find a keepsake that represented my sweet cousin and her husband.  As I ventured through the house, lo and behold -- I saw this picture on the wall.  Of course, I wanted that picture -- not only did I feel "directed" to it, but that "Word" is now indelibly imprinted in my mind and heart.  Twice in one day, God was speaking to me.   And, now it has a place in my home that I see it everyday as a constant reminder of God's presence with me.

Perhaps you're looking for direction on decisons that you are having to make today.  Maybe, just maybe, this "Word" is your "Word" too.  "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In ALL YOUR WAYS , (while driving in your car, washing dishes, mowing the lawn, standing in line at a store, putting on your make-up, etc.),  acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths."