Wrong Turn!

The best purchase I have made in the last year was a GPS (global positioning satellite). I can get directions to and from anywhere in the country. The directions are clear and precise. The soft voice alerts me to upcoming turns, and if I make a wrong turn or miss the directions the GPS will give me a friendly reminder that I need to turn around. I have become so fond of the voice in my GPS that I have gone as far as to give her a name. Her name is Brandy and some of you have already met her. Since my arrival in Oak Ridge two months ago, Brandy and I have been virtually inseparable. If I am in my car, she is there with me.

Now, to make a long story short, for a brief time two weeks ago, I remembered that I was a man and did not need Brandy to get me where I was going. I knew exactly where to go and where to turn. Now this would not have been such a problem anywhere else, but I found out real quick if you make a wrong turn in Oak Ridge, you may end up surrounded by men with guns strapped to both arms and both legs, as well as bomb sniffing dogs. Yes my friends, if you make a wrong turn in Oak Ridge, like me, you may end up at the gates to Y12. Unlike Brandy, these less than friendly voiced men, did not speak in a nice soft voice telling me that I needed to turn around. Instead, in a voice that could make a grown man cry, I was told to turn the car off, place the keys on the dash, and do not move. Now, many of you may know by now that I am seldom at a loss for words, so I made it known to men that I was a minister and I was just going to turn around and go about my business. (FYI- normally the whole minister thing works in certain situations, but obviously not at the gates of Y12). After 15 minutes of interrogation, an identification check and an unsuccessful attempt at evangelism, I was allowed to turn around and find my way back in the right direction. If only I would have had Brandy with me, this whole thing would not have happened; I would not have made a wrong turn. You can bet she was back in the car with me the next morning.

Well, I think that life in general is like that. At times we make wrong turns and sometimes we get off track. Do you know why that happens? It is because we refuse to listen for that still small voice that comes from our other GPS, the bible. We refuse to believe the directions God gives us for living are clear and precise. We do not take the time to read and apply the bible to our everyday lives, as we should. Then when we are faced with problems, we get the attitude I had, when I did not need Brandy to get me where I was going. We know how to get through life on our own and we do not need anyone’s help. Then suddenly we find we have made a wrong turn and it may take us a while to get turned around and find our way back in the right direction. Friends, if ever you are searching for direction and not sure which way to go, you do not have to figure it out on your own. Listen for the directions, which come from the bible and you, will see that it truly is a GPS full of Godly Perspectives and Strategies on direction for your life.