My husband and I just returned from a six day trip. We were in the car for 13 days of it - or at least it SEEMED that way. Morehead to Cadiz to see a brother; Cadiz to Joplin, Missouri where I preached at an ordination; Joplin to Fayetteville, Arkansas to see a granddaughter - oh, and the two adults she lives with :-) -; then back to Morehead via a length of road we lovingly referred to as Orange Barrel Highway.
For most of our journey Leon knew the way to go; he is almost savant in his ability to remember a route having only driven it once, 13 years ago, AND in his ability to figure out the way to go without ever having been somewhere before. But on a few occasions, we relied upon Samantha. Samantha is the given name of our Garmin GPS. Her voice is a lovely combination of pleasant and SLIGHTLY condescending. We used her directional expertise a couple of times in areas of traffic construction. She would tell us to turn right at a juncture that was completely blocked by barrels, and when we did not we saw that word: Rerouting..... Then she would give us another direction.
Sometimes a person will come into my office with questions about their life; often one of them will be centered around why a word of apology hasn't changed things, or why their life is in a loop of poor choices. Here's the thing: maybe our technological advances have led us to believe that when we are in a bad or awkward place we can simply push a button and go another way. A truly felt and sincerely accepted apology is a wonderful thing; however, it may not change what has occurred. A real and serious repentant heart and change of mind can absolutely change a life - but nonetheless we will still have to deal with what happened up to that point. Regardless of anything else, we deal with the consequences of our actions.
The wonderful new is, of course, that we can deal with them in new ways. A life turned around is still a life turned around - even if we can't have 'do-overs'. We CAN reroute, though it may take us through rough patches. Getting our lives in tune with God and God's Word can help us reroute our lives. Being with others in a faith community who have been on the road before can help us plan our course. Spending time in prayer and meditation can help us prepare and anticipate bad choices. Rerouting: it's a good thing.
For most of our journey Leon knew the way to go; he is almost savant in his ability to remember a route having only driven it once, 13 years ago, AND in his ability to figure out the way to go without ever having been somewhere before. But on a few occasions, we relied upon Samantha. Samantha is the given name of our Garmin GPS. Her voice is a lovely combination of pleasant and SLIGHTLY condescending. We used her directional expertise a couple of times in areas of traffic construction. She would tell us to turn right at a juncture that was completely blocked by barrels, and when we did not we saw that word: Rerouting..... Then she would give us another direction.
Sometimes a person will come into my office with questions about their life; often one of them will be centered around why a word of apology hasn't changed things, or why their life is in a loop of poor choices. Here's the thing: maybe our technological advances have led us to believe that when we are in a bad or awkward place we can simply push a button and go another way. A truly felt and sincerely accepted apology is a wonderful thing; however, it may not change what has occurred. A real and serious repentant heart and change of mind can absolutely change a life - but nonetheless we will still have to deal with what happened up to that point. Regardless of anything else, we deal with the consequences of our actions.
The wonderful new is, of course, that we can deal with them in new ways. A life turned around is still a life turned around - even if we can't have 'do-overs'. We CAN reroute, though it may take us through rough patches. Getting our lives in tune with God and God's Word can help us reroute our lives. Being with others in a faith community who have been on the road before can help us plan our course. Spending time in prayer and meditation can help us prepare and anticipate bad choices. Rerouting: it's a good thing.
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