The summer before my son went into 9th grade the two of us took a trip to Australia and New Zealand with stops in Hawaii and Fiji. I’d always wanted to explore Down Under. I particularly wanted to see if the sinks really do drain counter-clockwise. And yes, for those who’ve never had the joy of exploring any country south of the equator, they certainly do. The scenery was beautiful and varied. The people were friendly and much to my son’s pleasure, really do call you Mate. The wildlife was amazing and oh so unique.
When I’m north of the equator, I usually have no problem with my sense of direction, knowing where I am and which way to head. Not so in Australia. My sense of direction was totally scrambled.
Every time the hotel elevator doors opened, I’d head off in the wrong direction. At first, my son said 
something like, “You’re going the wrong way.” I’d correct course, and we’d end up where we needed to be.
Eventually, as my lack of direction became more evident, with no hope of improving, he anticipated my waywardness, grabbed hold of my arm, and pulled me the right direction. No need for discussion. Near the end of our trip I let my son lead. Especially after I spent about half an hour wandering through our hotel on Mt. Cook in New Zealand, trying to locate our room on my own.
People’s lack of a sense of direction isn’t confined to adventures south of the equator. It applies to our everyday life as well. To prove my point, here are some questions we could ask ourselves.
How is our spiritual compass doing? Do we navigate without any problem when we’ve in familiar surroundings, but lose our way when faced with the unknown?
When we lose our sense of direction, get turned around, and head the wrong way, do we stay on our errant path, or rely on the true guide, Jesus, to grab hold of us and pull us the right direction?
Do we sometimes behave as a not-so-bight sheep who is lost without a shepherd?
How many times must we wander aimlessly on our own before we simply stop when the elevator doors of life’s uncertainties open, and let Jesus lead instead of striking off on our own?
Since my trip all those many years ago, I’ve thought about my lack of sense of direction when south of the equator, and realize in life, if I don’t stick close to Jesus, the compass that always points to Truth, I could just as easily get lost.
I wish you well.
Sandy
[bctt tweet=”When we lose our sense of direction, and head the wrong way, do we stay on our errant path, or rely on Jesus to pull us in the right direction? ” username=”inspireafire”]
