Thought for the Week-MapQuest, Veronica & Tracy?

Good Morning Girlfriends!

Well, did you think I'd fallen right off the edge of the earth?!  No such luck.  I'm sorry for my silence.  You see, it's the first couple of weeks of summer, and it usually takes me a couple of weeks to find my groove.  I will say this: Y'all have been on my mind and in my heart from the get-go, though.  Thank you to all of you who have been praying over Elliott and his broken arm.  We saw the doctor yesterday, and it's still broken, but he did get a new bright green cast out of the deal.  He was pumped.  Please continue to pray for him, as the break isn't healing as quickly as we hoped.  Elliott is looking at about eighteen months (yes, you read that correctly) of casts and braces before that bone is strong enough to take any hit that an active seven year old might bestow upon it.  Needless to say, by the end of this ordeal I should be fairly well acquainted with the exact location of the orthopedic's office.  This was not totally the case yesterday.

Sadly, this is not the first time that I have gotten turned around and confused.  Most people are born with some sort of an internal compass.  This compass lets them know which way is up, down and over...I have no such compass.  It simply amazes people that I can get out of my driveway!  We are all familiar with MapQuest.  You plug in MapQuest to your Internet browser, add your coordinates and boom MapQuest will show you where to go.  Great.  That's wonderful if you know before you leave home that you will need directions.  Many people also have portable GPS devices in their vehicles.  I do.  Her name is Veronica.  She talks to me, she is sweet to me...she almost always has to recalculate!  She's great to have around, too...the only real trouble with Veronica is: sometimes she can't find me.  That's problematic.  That brings me to my Tracy.  Yesterday, after I'd already turned out of the doctor's office, I'd gotten turned around while looking for a McDonald's.  Elliott was thirsty.  I called Tracy.  I simply told her where I was and what I was looking at...and she found me...and then found me something even better to drink....Chick-Fil-A sweet tea!  Yum.  She finds me all the time.  I call her when I'm lost.  I even called her when I was in Colorado.  I was supposed to be in a meeting, but instead I was driving around...lost.  Naturally, my predicament of always getting lost made me think of Someone else....

God always knows where I am, too.  He never moves.  He stays in one spot while I run far and wide and often times, in circles!  But, He's always there when I come back.  He's there along the way to guide me, to direct me, and to help me find my way back home.  Way back in the Old Testament, God Himself led His people through the desert.  Read with me from Exodus 13:21-22 "By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.  Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people." (emphasis added)  But wait, there's more.  When you can't seem to see your pillar of cloud through your own rain clouds, try this on for size: "Your word is a lamp to feet and a light for my path."  Psalm 119:105  I know you're probably thinking that this is all fine and good for the Old Testament, but we live under the New Testament...well, just wait...there's more.  John 14:6 (these are red letter words, Girls.  It means these are the words of Christ Himself) "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."    He also said, in Luke 19:10 "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." (emphasis added)  How's that for a tour guide? 

God knows we are going to wander from the path that He has laid out for us.  So in all of His infinite wisdom, He has provided a way for us to come back.  He's given us His Word to direct our steps and guide our hearts.  Through the redeeming work on the Cross, Jesus made it possible for us to come before the Father, no matter how lost we are, and the Father will not only take us back, but love, accept and forgive us.  MapQuest cannot do that for me.  As much as Tracy loves me, she cannot do that for me either.  Only Jesus can find the truly lost.  So, what are your coordinates today?  Might I challenge you to plug them in to God's GPS and let Him give you the directions you are looking for?  Have a blessed rest of the week!

Shameless Plug:
Many churches are beginning to plan next year's retreats.  I LOVE retreats!  If you would like some more information, please let me know.  I'd be happy to send your Women's Ministry some information.

Also, many MOPS groups are planning their speaker lists for next year as well.  I have a special place in my heart for MOPS.  My next book, The Mommy Diaries (due out Summer 2012), deals with issues pertaining to that stage of life.  Contact me for more details.