Directions

 The Magi managed to make it across countless borders and end up in Bethlehem at exactly the right time, so how come I couldnt find a church in Reading with the aid of a sat nav and signposts??  😊  Yesterday morning I set off from Al and Emmas  to meet up with my friend Matt at his church.  It was about an hour and a half's drive and all went fantastically until the sat nav told me I had arrived at my destination and I hadn't.   I knew I was close, but having never been to the area before I had no idea how far away I actually was when the dot on the map was telling me I'd arrived.   So annoying.  I phoned Matt and tried to explain where I was and he tried to explain how to get to church.  I turned round and headed back the way I came but I wasn't convinced I was going in the right direction so I stopped and asked a lady who was walking along and she gave clear instructions.   I found the church and was just in time for the start of the service but then spent 15 minutes trying to find a parking space!!  Aaarrrrggh!   Managed to actually put my bum on a seat in time to catch the sermon 😃

This week I am doing ALOT of miles as I do a quick tour of the UK visiting various folks and picking up some family heirlooms from my Dad's house which has now been sold.  Im currently at Mums and from here on in I know my way around the country pretty well.  But Id never done the trip from Emmas house to Mums via Reading so I was heavily reliant on maps to get me there.  And signposts.  And both were mostly pretty easy to follow.  Until I was nearly there.

Nearly there.   

Its interesting.  As I write this Im feeling pretty lost.  Ive been heading in the same direction for years,  work, church, parenthood, marriage, creativity. all under the hand and guidance of God.  Ive been following directions and reading the signs and up till now I think Ive been pretty much on track.  Sometimes I havent gone very far very fast.  But mostly Ive kept moving and kept going in the right direction.   And then during Covid somehow I think I got a bit lost.   I wonder if lots of us did.   I know Im almost in the right place.  Im just not in EXACTLY the right place.  

When you are lost it doesnt matter how close you are to your destination. You are lost. You might feel a million miles away from where you are supposed to be , but what if...... what if.... you are NEARLY THERE ?   What if you ( or I, Im really taking to myself here) need to stop and ask someone for help.  What if we need to make the phonecall to say ' Hey!  Im a bit lost!' .   If the Word of God is our routemap and Jesus is the signpost then maybe the traveller on the road who knows how we can get to where we are going is the Holy Spirit.  Or maybe its a wise counsellor/mentor/friend who can speak into our lives and tweak our direction of travel to get us back on the right road.

Dont give up if you are feeling lost and the Bible and Jesus dont seem to be saying much.  God knows where you are and how to get you to where He needs you to be.  Just keep your eyes open for the help He sends and stay in the car 😁