After my aunt’s accident, Portland Oregon became my home away from home. I traveled there so much that I went from being one of the ‘huddled-masses’ passengers to a Skymiles® Elite member. Ok, so nobody asked for my autograph. But I did get to board the plane early and had a comfortable seat with a beverage waiting for me. Did this weary traveler appreciate it? You bet I did.

Portland is an interesting place. It’s kind of funky; not dirty sock funky but cool funky. It’s weird, beautiful, weird and busy. Did I mention weird? Yep, it’s weird. That’s ok though, they like it that way. It’s a thing. One of the weird things there is navigating the streets.

GPS
I asked someone where the nearest hardware store was, and I got weird directions. These folks know the lay of the land and are comfortable with the quirks of their streets. Me? Not even a little bit. I turned to my GPS for help. It was bossy and very specific; telling me where to turn, when to turn and when to start merging to turn. We almost came to blows a time or two when I missed a turn. I expected ‘GPS woman’ to call me an idiot when, with raised hands, I yelled, “There is no street!” As it turns out, there was a street. It was masquerading as a driveway. I found it on attempt number three.

A Bad Rap
After getting off a bridge I was never supposed to be on, my nerves calmed a bit and a question came to mind. “Why does faith get such a bad rap?” It’s a good question. Regardless of what side of the religious fence we’re on, we exercise simple faith every day. We drive in lock-step obedience to a robotic voice in the GPS, trusting it will direct us to our desired destination. We climb onto dentist chairs, into taxis and board airplanes, never fearing our demise. Yet when it comes to moral and spiritual matters, especially eternal ones, we’d rather chart our own course and live and do as we please. Essentially, we presume God to have no right to tell us what to do.

God’s positioning system is well able to navigate us through life and beyond. He knows where we are, where we need to be and how to get us there safely. Many follow for a while, then veer into unwanted territory and lose their way. Circling back time and again until frustrated, angry, fearful, you throw hands to the heavens shouting, “There is no way!” But there is a way. Many are familiar with it; but it’s narrow and offers no semblance of safe passage, so most move on. By faith, some dare pass through that gate only to find it leads to the road they’d been searching for all along.

How About You
Are you on the outside of the Christian faith; watching it work for others but not sure if it will work for you? What about you Christian? Have you been caught up in the flow of life’s traffic and gone so far out of the way you’re not sure if you can make it back this time? You know God can forgive you but not sure if He will. This simple prayer might be of help to you both. Mark 9:24 “Lord I believe, help my unbelief.” Many have prayed it and found that God is willing to do just that.

God bless you and keep you,

Roxanne

Scriptures taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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